The Power of Fandom
Being a fan can have many benefits, especially when it comes to finding community and social connection. In this blog, a gameHER discusses her experience with the power of fandom and how it has positively impacted her life.
Caitlin and her D&D group mate, photo courtesy of the author
By Caitlin Drummond
Fandom is a powerful thing. Whether it is for a video game, table top roleplay game, TV show, movie, etc, there are so many fandoms out there and a lot of them have helped people in different ways. One way I know it helps me and many others is that fandoms give people communities of likeminded individuals.
Through fandoms people from across the country and even the world are brought together by online forums, sites like Discord, and the convention circuit. As a social species, humans crave this type of community, and sadly not everybody finds it in their day-to-day lives. For instance, so many people have been helped and even saved by being in the Supernatural fandom, known as the SPN Family. For so many years the Star Trek fandom has meant so much to a lot of people. The Critter community, fans of Critical Role, is in full force and so many have been touched by different circumstances the Mighty Nein and Vox Machina have been in. Communities like these make us feel like we are a part of something.
In January 2020 I went to my first convention: PAX South in San Antonio. It was one of the happiest weekends of my life. I went with one of my D&D groups and we could all be our wonderful nerdy selves the whole weekend. Even though I hadn’t met most of the people in that convention center, I felt like I could be friends with anyone. I struck up so many conversations with people and we could just get giddy and geek out together with no judgement. Our whole group cosplayed one day and it was so fulfilling when people would stop us and comment.
Everyone felt free to be who they are all weekend. It was awesome. I have never felt so accepted in my entire life.
I think everyone should be a part of at least one fandom. It can become one of the most rewarding things in your life. People have even built careers through fandoms. My advice to you is if you are having a bad day or a rough time in life, turn to your fandom of choice. Not only because it will make you happy, but because you might gain perspective on your current situation through playing your favorite game or watching your favorite show. Who said TV shows and video games can’t teach you anything? Be a fan, everyone!
About the Author:
Caitlin Drummond, photo courtesy of the author
Caitlin Drummond is a female nerd and gamer with a passion for tabletop roleplay games. Dungeons and Dragons has changed her life, and she wishes she could find a way to make it a career. Caitlin is happiest making new characters and strategically planning them out for a certain backstory. She got her nerdy start at a young age with the launch of Pokemon. Since then she has become a nerd for so many different things. She is also proudly autistic and loves being an advocate for people with disabilities. A dream of hers would be to teach social skills to kids with special needs using tabletop roleplaying games. Gaming has the ability to help so many people and she want to be part of that work.
To read Caitlin’s blog on her love for Dungeons & Dragons, check out: How D&D Changed My Life
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