Many classic rock songs were written poetically and had a message or story behind them. Now the element of strong writing behind music has shifted away from rock and towards hip-hop. An example could be juxtaposing Bohemian Rhapsody to Beyonce's Formation, or a politically charged song about the Vietnam War to one of Kanye West's songs. Analyze this shift and how the music scene has evolved as well as the poetic value of some of these songs.
I would also include a discussion of Kendrick Lamar and the underground hip-hop and rap musicians that have been creating complex and poetic songs for years. Some artists like Mos Def and Talib Kweli have been killin it since the late 90s. – Jonathan Judd7 years ago
A major problem with super villains is that after they are defeated and captured they break out of jail to reek havoc again. So what should happen to these trouble makers? Take a look at how different comics deal with this problem and the frustrations and morality struggles heroes face from it. For example, in one of the Crisis on Two Earths stories Superman performs lobotomies on villains to stop them but it is seen as immoral action. In many cases heroes are tempted to kill villains to stop their terror once and for all.
How the method used to deal with villains is a reflection of how society does/should/shouldn't deal with criminals should also be taken into account. Media doesn't exist in a vacuum. – Amanda9 years ago
This is a fantastic topic! I think the moral aspect is the most important in this discussion, and should be the focus. Make sure to consider super villains that also have the ability to do good/have some form of a moral stand. I look forward to reading this! – LilyaRider9 years ago
Definitely look at DC's Arkham Asylum and Marvel's "The Vault" as examples of "super-max prisons" and how they do (or don't) work in the context of the greater comic universe. – Tarben8 years ago
There has been some controversy about how video game companies will make the players pay extra for content in a game. DLCs (downloadable content) are good because the company can add more to a game after it comes out. Sometimes it is a fair amount of extra content and it's more reasonable to buy it, like in Skyrim's Dragonborn DLC where the player gets a huge bundle of extra features to interact with which results in a lot more game time. In other cases the companies take away parts of the game that were in previous versions and charges the player extra for it, like characters in Super Smash bros. 4. There is also less content to be earned or unlocked in some games because it is turned into DLC. How is this making an impact on the way games are made? How is the video game audience reacting? What companies are using DLCs wrong/right? What could these companies do to be more fair to the players? How is the way DLCs are used evolving?
Is how DLC is being released (at the same time) now affecting games' longevity? DLC used to come out months after the game release, once designers had time to improve the game thanks to profits from the original sale. It kept things fresh and gave players a reason to come back to a game long after completion. – Slaidey9 years ago
Take a look at the Pokemon television series and note how its fundamentals and style has changed throughout the years and seasons. How is the formula for each episode different? How have the type of characters changed? Why might have of these changes occurred? What do these changes reflect?
Many comic books deal with whether or not a hero should kill someone if they feel they have to. Villains always break out of jail and hurt people, so at what point should they be executed? Some heros, like the Hulk, can't control themselves and often leave a path of destruction, should they be gotten rid of? Discuss how some of these scenarios played out and what killing means to different heros. Comics that explore this are Batman Hush, Justice League Crisis on Two Earths, Injustice, Marvel's Civil War, and Watchmen.
Love the idea! Might be worthwhile comparing the way the ethics of heroes killing villains in comics is represented, against the representation of that struggle in films and television, and why there might be differences. Daredevil seems like a good example given the entire second season is about the opposition between Daredevil and the Punisher's ideologies of life and death. – Zujaja K9 years ago
this could even be brought into the age of ultron and what it meant to ultron to kill, he did not want to kill just because there was a reason behind it. he wanted to essentially make the world a better place, but some people got in the way of that. very very good topic! – scole9 years ago
Analyse major story archs in different superhero universes and how they handle the theme of should superheros be regulated. Explore ideas of ethics, morals, politics, and social politics. Some examples of comics that do this are Marvel's Civil War, DC's Kingdom Come, Watchmen, and more.
Powers by Bendis would also be useful to look at. – TheReelFolkBlues9 years ago
This is potentially a huge topic...an author might want to pick one universe and analyze from there...or do one veeeeery broad article. Either way, I would be fascinated to see what s/he comes up with! Superhero universes always have one foot in real life. – sophiacatherine9 years ago
this would be a very cool topic to counter compare to DC, since the idea of 'regulation' comes from Civil War and that idea, it would be cool to apply it to DC and see how it would work in an alternate universe. – scole9 years ago
It was discussed in DC: Golden Age as well as New Frontier that the "mystery men" of the golden age of DC comics were forced out by a form of McCarthyism and it would be interesting to explore that impact as well. – gjkalmek9 years ago
Have you read that comic book titled "The Boys"? They also made a TV show. Season 3 just finished. – T. Palomino2 years ago
Ubisoft has it's own gaming platform for computer gaming called UPlay. In order to play Ubisoft's games this software is required. Take a look at what Ubisoft is trying to do with this and whether or not it's doing well. Compare it to other software like steam. Is Ubisoft on to something or is it just a pain for players?
Take a look at popular shows that many people consider as "part of their childhood". Which ones were actually good? Which ones weren't that great but appealed to people when they were children so it's largely defended anyways? How does this affect the television industry?
Nice topic. Could you give some specific examples of shows people consider part of their childhood? – Munjeera9 years ago
I see a lot of hype about shows like the Dragon Ball series, Power Rangers, and Pokemon. – LaRose9 years ago
Note some of the sub-cultures that have been created because of certain childhood shows and how that affects nostalgic attachment.
– tylerbloom9 years ago
Note some of the sub-cultures that have been created because of certain childhood shows and how that affects nostalgic attachment.
– tylerbloom9 years ago
Explain the process of writing videogame stories. How does it differ from movie screenwriting? How is action/gameplay incorporated into it? Can someone write a game plot and pitch it to a company? How does one get started in this field?
I would totally read this, but I think the idea would be better suited as either a career advice guide or something of that sort. – Dillon Raborn9 years ago
Something interesting to look into while writing this would be to look at why writing videogames is different from writing other forms of media material. Looking at what about videogames makes it inherently different from movies, television, etc. – amandajarrell9 years ago
Time and time again great anime has been adapted into live-action movies only to fall short of its potential. Some examples of this include Dragon Ball Evolution and the Attack on Titan movies. Analyze why some of these movies fail and how some were more of a success. What are some obstacles when adapting anime into film? What would be needed for success?
Holy cow. Were some live action Anime actually successful? It seemed like one big failure after another. Interesting. – Adnan Bey9 years ago
You should also specify where exactly they were successes/failures, either in Japan, the USA, or elsewhere.
– Tanner Ollo9 years ago
(1) The attachment we create with an anime character cannot be replicated by humans. Their eyes, their lack of facial details, their clear-cut expressions, etc. (2) Not all anime live action movies, if any, have VFX teams like that of WB or Disney. So whatever happens in anime, like the AoT titan fight scene, is trimmed down in a live-action adaptation. – Abhimanyu Shekhar9 years ago
I think the transference of the "spirit," if you will, of anime - it's compositional energy, its ability to carry on nonchalantly as deathly serious events unfold, and other characteristics - is really what is lost when the medium changes from animated to live action. As you mentioned, I think the most recognizable example is definetely Dragon Ball Evolution. What come off as a highly masculine and ego-invested character developments (at least in the case of shonens like DBZ) become cringey and, frankly, stupid one-liners when performed by real people. Not to mention in the case of DBZ that entire characters can get rewritten entirely so that they're unrecognizable to the fanbase the movie should so obviously be pandering to if it wants to be successful. tl;dr- this is an interesting idea and someone ought to pursue it. – Dillon Raborn9 years ago
There were some interesting live actions that were known to be a huge success such as the Ruroni Kenshin Live Action series as well as the latest being Assassination Classroom. One terrible live-action that could have went very well was the Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai series, which told it's actors to not look at the original source material for the characters. By doing that, it impeded upon the movie's success because of the ignorance of the writers and producers for trying to make it something that the source material was not. If they stuck to the original premise of the series and the characteristics of each character, the movie could have been done very well! – Kevin Mohammed9 years ago
There were some pretty spectacular games from 2015, I would like to see someone comprise a list of the best soundtracks. Take into account different genre/styles of music and why that track deserves its place. Take note that this list would be highly opinionated and how that would be delivered to the audience. It doesn't need to be specifically ten tracks, I just used that number for convenience.
If really delved into, this could be a great showcase and conversation starter! – Ian Boucher9 years ago
Maybe to make it even more interesting of an article, the article writer could even do a survey collection through Facebook or other forms of social media to help give the article another layer of immersion. Then the top 10 is based on the survey results. – Kevin Mohammed9 years ago
This would be a awesome, and a great way for people to find new music. I feel like the Undertale soundtrack is definitely up there, but I'm not sure how the rest of the list will shake out. – Connor Gregorich-Trevor9 years ago
Many childhoods involve classic Nintendo games that are still ongoing series, like Mario, Zelda, and Sonic. People still play their games when they are older but have different experiences, some of these games, like super smash and pokemon, are even used in game tournaments. Analyze how some of these games still hold entertainment for all ages, some fail in a certain age group, and maybe what these games should be doing to provide for both audiences. The evolution of certain game series should be taken into account for as well.
Maybe discuss the distinct need and benefits (and potential harms) of having games with these extremes, those which equally appeal to all ages, but also those which exclude either adults or children from finding enjoyment. Perhaps ask whether there should be a widening or narrowing of appeal, and I would suggest not just focusing on Nintendo. I don't think this needs to just be focused on old games which have been accepted by an adult audience. – Matthew Sims9 years ago
The lifespans of demographics are fascinating. – Ian Boucher9 years ago