Did you ever come across something that made you say: they made this just for me. With delight, let me provide an example.
- High geek factor? Check.
- Involves a Whedon (of Dr. Horrible fame)? Check.
- References video games? Check.
- People wearing medieval garb (à la Renaissance Faire)? Check.
- Catchy pop tune with dancing? Check.
- Cheeky humor (à la Jonathan Coulton)? Check.
Yeah, this one has my name all over it.
I watched this about 3 times in a row, busting up, when it was passed along to me. Then I bought it off iTunes so I could add it to my code-writing playlist. I immediately thought: "Who can I share this with?" And suddenly, my delight and giddiness faded a bit. I mean, for the non-gaming population, half of the lyrics might as well be in Swahili! My girlfriends would just be confused. Even my beloved family, who laughs at most all of my ridiculous jokes, won't be able to understand why I bust up every time she says: "How 'bout a little tank and spank?" (See, laughing right now!)
Just when I'm about to send it to my sisters and understanding-and-appreciation-be-damned, an idea hits me. I know exactly who would love this. So I sign in to the web forums for my Warcraft guild (yes, I am one of those people) and post "I'm sure you guys have seen this, but just in case...." Less than two hours later, I get all the responses from people as enthralled and obsessed and I am. They quote the same lines. They delight in Felicia Day's gorgeous geekiness. They talk about how much they like The Guild. They compare the folks in the video to our own guildmates. They even listen to the songs I reference as part of a good gaming humor playlist (My Belruel and Puggin' Kara, if you're into that kind of thing).
There's a lot of crap on the internet. I'm more than willing to admit to that. But one of my favorite things about the internet is that you can find your kind of crap, and people who love it just like you do to enjoy it with. Our love may exist in virtual space, but for your more offbeat interests, it's much more satisfying that the enduring smiles (or worse yet, blank stares and boredom) of your friends in person.
