Super Mario Maker and Dashiegames a Youtube, Folk Palimpsest

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Publication Type honors thesis
School or College College of Humanities
Department Writing & Rhetoric Studies
Faculty Mentor Jonathan W. Stone
Creator Prince, Stephen Tanner
Title Super Mario Maker and Dashiegames a Youtube, Folk Palimpsest
Date 2019
Description Folklore is traditional, informal, unofficial culture. And right now, on the internet, it's changing everything you know about entertainment. In this thesis, I look at the gaming tradition, past and present, and at the major game developer Nintendo. I present Nintendo's fascinating history, and an argument for the breakout success of Donkey Kong, and subsequent success of its iconic, main character, Mario. I discuss YouTube's history as well, and delve into the participatory culture model that has made it the singular video platform of today. I explain how YouTube's business model allows it to house folklore-based entertainment. The thesis is fully realized in a discussion of two internet communities, married in one YouTube channel. DashieGames is the convergence of the YouTube gaming community and the Super Mario Maker player/developer community. Each is characterized in extensive detail. I go through a typical Super Mario Maker DashieGames video and demonstrate its folkloric richness. I explore genre, myth, and society with Joseph Campbell. Finally, I argue that because folklore originates in people rather than institutions, "big media", and government, it provides an enduring ethos that can bridge inter-cultural distances. Folklore communities that bring together disparate discourses promote unity, and that's important. Because right now, that's what American rhetoric needs.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Language eng
Rights Management (c) Stephen Tanner Prince
Format Medium application/pdf
Permissions Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6nh0fdb
ARK ark:/87278/s69657bn
Setname ir_htoa
ID 1599586
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s69657bn
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