The Great Machinima Turf War

The Elitist and the Little Guy
This community never ceases to inspire me, and lately discussions have been mentioning "elitists" and "big boys" that are said to often step on the little guys, discouraging them from participating and stirring up negative vibes. I'd like to discuss this alleged turf war, it’s principles, and what to expect.

In the entertainment world we hear about celebrities storming out of award ceremonies, critics tearing apart great films out of distaste for the director, and bull-dog organizations that claim authority to strike down opposing views simply to remain dominant. There is no doubt that being involved in entertainment is going to introduce you to many bull-headed individuals, and to survive, you must be reasonably bull-headed yourself.

It's very easy to overlook 10 positive remarks when that one criticism sticks out like a rotten tomato. You're going to want to defend yourself, your ideas, and your hard work. But knowing when to refrain is the greatest skill you will ever learn because many become obsessed with what other people think even when it has no tangible impact on their success. When feeding the trolls, you only exasperate the situation, and opinionated fans might see your retort as unprofessional. This takes the attention away from your work and makes it personal, and no amount of personal debate between two bull-headed individuals proclaims a winner.

Enter the Turf War.
Upon entering into any artist’s territory, you are stepping onto their turf. Some of them are credible and welcome your arrival, whereas others have no credibility but insist on shouting from the rooftops because they believe they come with the authority to judge by some divine knowledge we will never understand. There is nothing to fear however, because this community is not controlled by an underground fascist society. The opinions of the established, no matter how weighty, will have a negligible impact on your success. The majority of viewers could care less about your personal situation and beliefs, and they will judge you for your work even if you’re an intolerant bigot. This may not seem fair because we like to see fair-minded people succeed, but “c’est la vie”. Luckily this community has a big heart, and I’ve only seen rare exceptions of truly intolerable people.

Being Met with Hostility
It’s also important to understand that being met with hostility means you’ve hit a nerve. When you jostle the established community unexpectedly, it’s natural for some to respond with “limited enthusiasm”. These people may not even intend to be hostile; in fact, they can become some of your greatest allies. This is why your silence speaks mountains. The community will adjust to your presence, and without memories of mudslinging. If you yourself become successful, at one point you will likely find yourself fearing the competition even when there’s no reason to. You will work hard to become successful, but you must work harder to keep it. This is human nature, your survival instincts kick in. It’s as impersonal as the need to eat and sleep, and as you build confidence you’re able to tame those thoughts and welcome the unexpected without fear that you’ll lose your ground.

For the "Little Guy"
So if you’re the “little guy” trying to make a name for yourself, remember that all of the established were there once. Moving up only invites bigger and louder trolls that may track you at every step, and learning to deal with this early on will certainly save you from grief and spare your dignity.

Before your imagination gets the best of you, it’s not all rocky roads and hurricanes. Your chances of rocketing to stardom are higher now than years ago before these communities were established. Sites like this one are devoted to power-leveling you across the greater plains of Machinima Island. Its system is designed to be unbiased, giving any individual the opportunity to use the same tools that we and many others utilize to share videos and related content with millions of viewers each year.

Don't be Discouraged
So before you think the "big boys" are out to get you and little guys don’t stand a chance, remember that some of the big boys in our early days gave us grief to, but we kept making movies anyway. I made the mistake of entering battles that couldn’t be won and lost countless hours defending our work before I realized it didn’t matter. Don’t ridicule or hate on anyone even if they hate you today, because after all… this is the Internet, and they might be your biggest fans tomorrow.