The Dragonborn comes…

As I was looking on youtube, I noticed that my theme–skyrim–has two major types of videos commonly made: the first is fan-made re-enactments or mod reviews. The re-enactments involve fans dressing up like characters from the game and creating original content, like in the video I linked, or recreating actual moments from the game story-line. The video I linked is also a cover from the soundtrack of the game.  The other type of videos review mods, which are changes in the game code that alter certain characteristics like appearance or gameplay. Both types include videos that are humorous and also pay homage to the game. The fascinating realization I made about these videos is that Lev Manovich's principle of transcoding has come full circle with the Skyrim game. What I mean to say is that a culturally diverse group of programmers came together to create Skyrim, and then fans reinterpreted this digital art form in their daily lives through cosplay and film making. The initial purpose of the game was for purely entertainment purposes, but the fans in these youtube videos are learning valuable skills of programming and film making to fuel their love of the game.