Where to draw the line?
Earlier today I attended Sonicon and as the name suggests it is a convention about SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog. At the event I saw and heard what some people might consider disturbing things. Something that stuck out to me was the question and answers session with the voice actor for the newest addition to the Sonic series.
During the session a child no older than eight asked the voice actor what he thought about websites using his characters. He answered that he saw it as a form of flatter from his fans. He went on to say that his point of view may differ from those of SEGAs, which he could not make a statement about. I found this odd that he responded to a child about what SEGA may or may not deem appropriate. It got me to thinking whether he was actually addressing the child or the child’s parents.
After the first child’s question, the next question came from a young girl who said she was an aspiring artist and drew a picture for him. She asked him if it would be alright for her to use the character in a web comic that she was drawing. He responded without actually answering her question, and instead talked about how great the drawing was that she drew for him.
I found this question and answer session interesting because it made me think of Convergence Culture by Henry Jenkins. In his book, Jenkins writes, “Today’s teens… aren’t the only ones who are confused about where to draw the lines here; media companies are giving out profoundly mixed signals.” It seems that Jenkins is writing about exactly what happened at the questions and answer session. The voice actor did not specifically give any details about what was considered emulation and imitation, rather he walked around the questions.
Besides his answers, something that really stuck out to me was that children were the ones asking these questions. These were definitely not questions I would have thought to ask him, when I was their age. In fact, I probably would not have thought to ask these questions today. When I was younger I did not think anything of drawing a cartoon character that I saw on TV. Although I also did not have the access to the internet to put my pictures out in front of the world.
It seems that with technology kids may be growing up too fast. Instead of going out having fun and not having a care in the world, they are dealing with real adult issues. The video RIP addressed this when they interviewed a pastor from McKinney, TX who received a notice that he had illegally downloaded some music and would be prosecuted. When he replied back saying that other people use his computer such as his children, the response was that he could file paperwork to have his children prosecuted instead.
It makes me wonder what the future holds when we have kids growing up, that have the added stress of an adult.
Pluim – Glad to know you had your North Dakota survival wits finely tuned for the SEGA convention; good to know you made it out alive my friend, despite the disturbing things that you heard and saw
I love how you bring up the Q & A with these young tykes because I was just discussing this very issue with my landlord whose a younger guy trying to change his target audience direction. I advised him that because the 16 / 17 / 18 year olds are now expected to know more, work harder, and in a way defend their own because the recession cut a major piece out of the mom/dad income. Therefore they are more likely to rent houses/apartments to maintain that self sufficiency. I have to agree with you that children who are growing up in the age of this technological universe must also be prepared that their great freedom comes with great responsibility. Are you inclined to be more of a traditional purist parent and shield the technology away or use it as a tool to help your kids grow? I am not sure which way I’m headed yet…
WOW, pretty awesome post and you bring up some interesting question. I agree that more and more we are forcing our children to become more and more like adults, especially when we give them access to the internet, cell phones, etc. at younger and younger ages. I hope we discuss this issue in class because it’s a pretty compelling one that I think many people will want to talk about, especially in our class.
This is your best blog all semester, Nick. Excellent example to tie in with the reading and you do a great job of thinking about the larger implications – the invisible effects of copyright restrictions on kids. I only wish you had brought it up in class…I bet it would have sparked quite a bit of discussion!
This reminds me of convention panels I’ve attended where FUNimation’s voice actors and representatives have had to work around certain questions. Ever so often, a fan (of any age) will ask the voice actor to speak in character, and the first thing the actor says is “Alright… but no recording. Promise me that none of you will record this. No video cameras either, or you’ll get me in trouble!” Such comments are always said in a humorous tone, but much like Sonic’s actor dodged questions, the message about “intellectual property” rings true. Eventually kids will have to (or maybe they already do) wonder not whether or not their entertainment heroes can do a certain voice or have “their” image/likeness drawn out of tribute, but why such restrictions may be placed. If I were a celebrity, I’d work those kids’ innocent idolatry of me as much as I could before they become jaded
I think this quote you used sums up exactly how the younger generation who has been around media feels. They may not be educated about what is right and wrong from a digital content area because companies aren’t sending out clear signals.
“Today’s teens… aren’t the only ones who are confused about where to draw the lines here; media companies are giving out profoundly mixed signals,” said Jenkins.
Wow, can’t believe those kids asked those questions. Really pertinent example for the readings. (Also, Sonic the hedgehog is my fav. game ever).
John Kricfalusi, the creator of Ren & Stimpy, received a letter from a child who was trying draw cartoons. The child’s letter included a few badly drawn attempts at the cartoon characters John K. had invented.
John K. responded with a 8 page letter, detailing how the child could improve their sketches. John. K. wanted the child to get better at drawing and helped outlined exactly how to construct the characters he’d invented. (See the letter he sent here: http://www.lettersofnote.com/2010/01/your-pal-john-k.html)
I imagine in this day and age John K. would be hit with a cease and disist or something. “How DARE you help a child draw these copyrighted images!!!”
Hopefully kids won’t be scared away from drawing Sonic, or whatever they please. A really good friend of mine is a great artist (www.dwightbenignus.com) and I asked him how he learnt. He said he used to just get tracing paper and trace comic books when he was young. He spent hours doing this, and he got better and better at drawing. He was probably breaking some kind of law, but thats why laws and creativity don’t mix. They are antithetical bit of culture.