The following conversation developed over Twitter a couple of days ago. I found it hilarious and enlightening at the same time. There’s a question at the end for you to answer (skip to it here).
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So I ask, what do you think a The Gamer Traveler show on The Travel Channel would look like?
So, I see the show going like this: Its starts with something tied to RPGs via theme or product, then visits something tied super close to it (see examples) as the start of the show. Then places nearby that could become game fodder/inspiration via look, lore, or history are explored/visited.
Example: Let’s say it is a steampunk themed show. It would start off with a visit to that guy who made the walking tiger’s art studio. Then it would find a few cool places near by that would be awesome to visit & would be great locals inspirations for a steampunk RPG or had history tied to something that feels steampunk-esque.
Another Example: Visiting places like Q Workshop then finding some local places that could reflect their different dice sets in feel/history/lore (like their elven, skull, or dragon sets).
Well, that’s how I see it going. Maybe also throwing in some gamer culture from that area, as well.
Can I just say this is awesome?
A Travel Channel version of your show could be very entertaining! Maybe approach it as a light, semi-comedic look at the world’s wonders — for gaming purposes. A number of things could happen, depending on the budget. Of course, you’d have the usual Daniel-walking-and-talking-through-city-streets stuff, but then you might also be able to have, say, actors doing recreations (a la History Channel) that you interrupt, walking onto the scene and pointing out what can be made to fit in a game, with the scene maybe freezing and then changing to your specifications. (“Excuse me, Mr. Caesar, may I see your character sheet please? I think we’ll take you and put you in front of THIS fantasy army, change THIS about your armor and give you a +1 sword. Ah yes, that will work nicely.”)
I’d also recommend – for marketing purposes if nothing else – expanding the program to talk about not just RPGs but existing board games, card games, etc that deal with a featured area’s history. You could maybe also talking a little bit about the kinds of games the locals play (or played historically), as well — sort of a “what flavor of gamer can we find in THIS area?” type thing, maybe showing you participating in local gaming and/or general geek culture. You could likely also hit up other traveling geeks to do spots for you, as well (maybe folks like Keith Baker, Paul Tevis or Curt the Camera Guy).
Like I said, this has the potential to be truly awesome.
.-= Jim Ryan´s last blog ..Episode IXX – Arsenic, Cyanide and Other Old Favorites =-.
I see the show going one of two ways:
A show about how a game company makes a game, and what goes into it. Maybe even meet important people of that industry. Eg. One show could be about Paizo Publishing, and what it takes to produce any given Pathfinder product, with an exclusive interview with Erik Mona.
Or a show about what games people play in different parts of the world. Eg. One show could be about what games people play in Bosnia, Austria, or South Africa.
I wouldn’t mind either really.. Don’t see why it couldn’t be a little bit of both..
Discovering the games of the world, and playing those games with the locals, and go to the companies that make them (whenever it applies) to show what it takes to produce the game.
Wow! That is really cool, Daniel!! I think that a Travel Channel show based on gamers is AWESOME! Though, maybe you should look into seeing if G4 would have any interest as well! Who knows??? The possibilities are endless!!! Just keep us posted, and remember the little people when you win your Emmy.. hehe
.-= Daria´s last blog ..Call off the Dogs! Found It! =-.
I’ll agree with the above posts. Travel around the world highlighting very cool places that can serve as inspiration for games (which is basically everywhere!). Sorry I don’t have any more ideas. I’ll mull it over.
.-= Mountzionryan´s last blog ..“See the Elephant” =-.
These are great ideas! I’ll wait to see if more feedback comes in before replying. But thanks a lot. Keep em coming.
Whoa, I really like @Jim Ryan’s take on how the show could progress. Personally, this is how I would do such a show:
I would start out with a bit about the location first: A short paragraph on a quick history, some delightful tourist trap spots, and a general overview of the city. Followed by a variation on Jim Ryan’s version, throwing in a call to local LARPers and/or RPGers and asking them to show you what they like to do and in which areas. Discussion with locals or just to the camera (a la Alton Brown style) various of the gaming systems that may complement these ideas. Finally I would end with a scene of you gaming with locals, pulling back to show the city again, voice-over asking for gamers in various cities to send in their ideas and locations.
And that is what I would do. I would LOVE to see GamerTraveler as a TV Series!
.-= Nia´s last blog ..Gundam in Tokyo =-.
Seeing as I have a bit of experience in TV-land… I honestly can’t see how the Gamer Traveler in its current incarnation would be something a net as mainstream as Travel Channel would take a risk on. G4 would be more likely. The key in any case would be to make it appealing to a mass audience, not just the fairly small (comparatively speaking) Gamer demographic. I think the idea of delving into other kinds of games (board games, card games, traditional games that people play) would open the show up a lot beyond the RPG/Gaming community and give it more mass appeal.
I speak, of course, as a non-gamer who nevertheless would love to see the Gamer Traveler on TV!
@Wifey – Hun, trust me that you’d be in a Producer position at the very least due to your experience.
I’m marinating on these comments and thinking about them. It’s not something I can do right away, but who knows down the line. Aside from The Travel Channel (the holy grail of travel TV) or a specialty network like G4, there’s also the possibility of self-producing for independent broadcast via online sources and sales, so there are options.
Like I said, marinating on it.