• ‘You Made Him Real’: Interactive Gothic Texts for the YouTube Generation

    Author(s):
    Hayley Louise Charlesworth (see profile)
    Date:
    2018
    Subject(s):
    Digital media, Arts, Gothic, Horror, Storytelling, Interactive multimedia, Video games
    Item Type:
    Conference paper
    Conf. Title:
    International Gothic Association Conference 2018: Gothic Hybridities
    Conf. Org.:
    International Gothic Association
    Conf. Loc.:
    Manchester Metropolitan University
    Conf. Date:
    31st July - 3rd August 2018
    Tag(s):
    YouTube, Gothic, Interactive storytelling
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6FX73X6C
    Abstract:
    Advancements in technology have irrevocably changed the way audiences interact with a text, and nowhere is this more prevalent than in the work of YouTube creators. Self-funded, self-scripted, and with an instant audience and criticism available in the comment section, YouTube content is inherently interactive, allowing for innovative ways of presenting the Gothic. This research will focus on the notion of audience-derived Gothic mythology, specifically surrounding the work of YouTube creators Mark Fischbach (Markiplier) and Sean McLoughlin (Jacksepticeye). It will explore the origins of their fan-created evil counterparts, Darkiplier and Antisepticeye, through fiction, fan-art and theorising, and 26 how this work has been adapted by the creators to produce interactive narratives on a Gothic theme. The research will explore a variety of content in which the characters of Darkiplier and Antisepticeye appear, primarily ‘Who Killed Markiplier?’, ‘A Date With Markiplier’, ‘Darkiplier vs Antisepticeye’ and ‘Say Goodbye’, focusing on the Gothic uses of storytelling techniques unique to interactive and YouTube content, such as ‘choose-your-own-adventure’, first person-viewpoint, comment section interactions and social media ‘clues’. Finally, the presentation will consider how the advancement of technology has changed the physicality and origin story of the Gothic figure, generating terror through associations with the internet itself, for example Darkiplier’s manipulating of RGB colour in the video feed and Antisepticeye’s presentation as a virus infecting Jacksepticeye’s channel.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    5 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved

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