Towards the end of the semester, we started discussing web series, and just how they fit into our topics on new media. Web series are episodic content that is produced and then released on the web. That doesn’t necessarily mean any show that only sees its release on the web is considered one. Many Netflix original series may not be considered web series, as they follow a more typical television production standard. A good example of a web series is The Guild, a series about a group of gamers who only knew each other through a game, but takes a look at who they are as people and how they interact in the real world. The series is comprised of 8 to 10 minute episodes, as opposed to the typical television format of 30 minute to an hour long episodes.
One of the great benefits of web series is how they allow anyone to have a voice. Anyone with aspirations of making content has the means to. In this sense it’s much like the independent developer scene in gaming. But that’s not the only similarity. I feel like web series and indie development have a lot in common. For starters, the type of content it allows for and has helped get the ball rolling on is similar. With indie gaming, games that focus on content that touches on non mainstream topics, like gender, sexuality, and race representation are becoming more and more common. For example, Never Alone (pictured below) is all about the stories and traditions of the Alaskan people. Because there’s no need to appease big name publishers who only are interested in mainstream topics, indie developers are free to work on what they want. Indie developers are a big part of the diversification of games.
The same holds for web series. Web series aren’t bogged down by the requirement of television networks, much like indie games aren’t bogged down by big name publishers. Because of this we see a large increase in web series that focus on stories and topics that aren’t typically seen on television. A good example is Awkward Black Girl or The Couple, two web series that cover facets of black life, which is a topic often not center in the story of a television series.
Voices and stories that never have a chance on television now have that chance on the web. Now like indie games, some of these series may not see much popularity and dwindle, but it’s the fact that they are being made that counts. When it was just television, you may never have seen content like that but now it’s there, it can be found. Others, like Awkward Black Girl, will go viral and gain huge popularity, which is great because it gets the content out there even more.
No matter what level of success a series sees, the diverse content that comes out of web series will be seen and can become an influence to create more diverse content. This is the power of independent content creators. This is what we can achieve when not bogged down by mainstream media.