pouët.net

i feel the need to complete PAiN article by Unlock about how to make the scene more attractive.

except hiring some bunny girls, allowing metalvotze pr0n (not sure it's the right direction...) or cloning XXX/Haujobb in order to entertain demoparties, i think the soluces are quite simple:


1- going back to roots! Come on elderly sceners, where is the demoscene coming from ? of course you know it's the cracking scene. Many people have discovered the demoscene through copy parties and warez releases. So if you want the scene to renew its sex-appeal and audience, JUST SUPPORT THE CRACKING SCENE! :)

wouldn't it be fabulous to see Farbrausch making the cracktros of their own games ? ;)


2- educating the kiddies! now the kiddies are fond of playing multiplayer games at gaming parties, but aren't we most gamers ? I'm quite sure many sceners are still gamers, playing nostalgia games or the latest technical hits, and in the other direction some gamers are also pretty creative, modding their favourite games. My bet is that current kiddy gamers only need to be introduced to demo candies. Face it, games and demos are close cousin, many sceners are now game makers, so SUPPORT MIXED PARTIES!

i dont say that breakpoint should be opened to gamers, but gaming parties shouldn't be neglected either, and btw i'm pretty sure it's easier for party organizers to find financial sponsors for big gaming parties ;)


3- more girls! (doh!) Demoparties should be less macho, more girl-friendly, always free for girls (and free for boys who invite at least 3 girls ;) and rehabilitate/give more place and importance to non-demo compos like gfx/zik/ascii/text/wild/flash/crazy ones. Don't say that most girls in scene are groupies only, aren't ALL sceners groupies too btw ? :P SUPPORT SCENE GIRLS!

making babies could be also a way to renew blood ;)

Not only does the scene need more girls, but the parties need BEER TUB GIRLS! Oh yah the sizzle!

I actually have to see one of them crap out a title that comes near to the 'A' classification first :)

Niels: dont forget .kkrieger ;)

fr .warez !

I disagree.

12 years ago, games cracktros were the main (and almost the only) way to reach "newbies" and to make them discover the demoscene. No internet and a lot of people did not own a modem and could not access BBS.

Thanks to internet this is not true anymore.
There is no need to whore lan gamers and warez people to lure new talents to the demoscene. Demoscene is visible enough to have those people join if they feel attracted by this so called scene spirit.

The Party is the perfect example of what happens when one forgets to focus on what really matters and when one tries to whore gamers for the sake of numbers. When quantity takes over quality.

more like 15 years ago actually :)

how is inviting gamers supposed to fuel the scene? it doesn't seem to work at any of the combined parties. i remember articles about assembly that didn't even mention the demoscene once. they don't see it if they don't want to see it.

also, when i visit a demoparty, the kick for me is that i know that everyone there is kind of like-minded. i can't really relate to gamers, and i don't see the typical gamer as either interested in or interesting for the demoscene.

There is room for both types of parties, with good scener input. No scener input = the party = dead.

If you happen to live in an area where there are NOT a lot of sceners, you need all the help you can get, and one of those ways of getting help is reaching out to the gamers who might not have seen the creative side yet. (There are such.)

If you live in an area with a lot of sceners, it might be different. I don't know, I've never lived in that sort of area.

I don't know that we need a massive recruitment effort, however. Sceners somehow manage to gravitate toward the scene anyway. We just need some more sattelites in remote areas.

you've got a point, sir gt... it took me a surprisingly long time to discover the scene even though i have been involved with computers virtually all my life.

so i'm not at all against advertising the scene. i just want to have the parties i visit populated with the already-converted and not the to-be-converted :)

Sir G.: Unlock is right when he says "during the past years the scene has aged", a quick glance at the average age of demoparty audience confirms it. New blood is needed for sure.

And the fact that the cracking scene need much more quality demolike prods is even more sure ;)

jazzman: even if a schoolbus of girls are awaiting at the demoparty to be initiated and converted?!?

zest, those are very crappy ideas. (i only read the first post though).

(cept for point 2 of course)

I think we should simply get more girls in the scene.

But seriously..I like intiatives like Digitale Kultur. I think that will make the scene grow.

The really interesting question is: Do we want more fans or more collueges? :)

I am a gamer. But I don't want to see any games at demoparties. And I for sure won't spend a second gaming at a demoparty. I come to a demoparty for demo party. If I want to invite someone to the scene, I take him to a demoparty, if he can only see people gaming, what will he think?

i didnt realise the scene had a recruitment problem.

anyway. the single best way to get more people into the scene is to just make very good demos.
you might have noticed already, but the best releases do actually find their way to non-scene people, through word of mouth or whatever.

just go make something good, and people will come.

smash: if you compare to early nineties there are lot less new groups around... that qualifies as a recruitment problem.

1) We must get better in supporting those new groups that do emerge

2) Like Smash said: make better demos :)

It's not about supporting anyone. The current demoscene grew up without any support whatsoever. The point is that the demoscene has been, for many of us, the only way to find an audience for their computer-based creations, either music (expecially if tracked), pixeling or coding. Many "newbie" artists now just post their pictures on online galleries, join a netlabel or code openGL freeware games and screensavers... the demoscene is left for the (few) ones who really have the guts to step into the competition.

I'd rather have my face eaten off my a mongoose, thanks.

dixan has leading...

WAR ON "MIXED" PARTIES.

"YAY" FOR CRACKING SCENE.

"YAY" FOR GIRLS.

and dixan really spoke out smth i was thinking about but wasn't really up to formulating it.

I just HAVE to massively agree Dixan.

zest,



'less macho' - you're aiming at those nerds who're suspicious anytime a girl is talking to another scener, while they themselves do not get any attention by just hanging out at the same place, right? =)
i stopped counting those that turned bitter because they obviously have a slight barrier at when it comes to actually interact and/or even work with girls. quite funny that exactly these guys do later on take it out on those who're not going the macho/sexist way.