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    HBO’s Happily Ever Avatar: Finding Love in the Gaming World | Digital Trends

    There are loads of the explanation why avid gamers spend their time immersed in fictional worlds. For some, the reward is so simple as momentary leisure once they have time to spare, however for others, gaming is usually a technique to discover the spectrum of human relationships, from informal interactions to the type of bond that may make two individuals who have by no means been in the identical room fall deeply in love.
    The new HBO Max documentary sequence Happily Ever Avatar follows three {couples} whose relationships started within the video games they love, solely to make the leap to the true world. The 12-part sequence explores the best way gaming introduced them collectively and shapes the best way they strategy life, love, and their potential futures collectively.
    Digital Trends spoke to Samantha Hanks, the chief vp of casting and expertise relations at Magical Elves, the Emmy-winning manufacturing firm behind Happily Ever Avatar, in regards to the sequence’ exploration of how love could be discovered — and flourish — in a group the place an actual individual is behind each digital avatar.

    Digital Trends: Casting a actuality TV present is a component of improvement that’s a thriller to most individuals. When you tackle a brand new venture like this, what are a few of the first steps you are taking within the casting course of?
    Samantha Hanks: This was positively a singular one, however I feel a whole lot of the issues that we maintain pricey actually got here into play on this one. As an organization, we make exhibits that present folks in an important gentle. Whether it’s Top Chef or Project Runway or Nailed It!, we’re in search of individuals who have a love and a ardour and a constructive outlook on regardless of the topic is. These are actual folks and everybody may be very savvy to unscripted tv lately, so we’re sincere with folks and wish to spotlight their greatest and their uniqueness. They are trusting us with their tales and we honor that by looking for probably the most distinctive, various, uplifting those who we will.
    Well, you talked about how distinctive this sequence is so far as casting. How did that distinctive focus — {couples} who met via gaming — form the best way you approached casting?
    I’m not a gamer, however at any time when I begin a present, I attempt to be taught in regards to the setting we’re working in, as a result of you need to discuss to folks with respect and honesty. What I noticed in a short time is that inside the gaming group, there was a adverse feeling about tv, as a result of all the things that had been made about avid gamers was simply making enjoyable of them — as in the event that they’re all residing of their basements and don’t have the rest happening. That’s completely not the reality. But due to that, we felt we couldn’t solid it in a standard method with casting producers placing notices out on the planet — as a result of folks weren’t going to belief what we have been doing. So we employed a casting producer who’s a gamer and spent a few years incomes the belief of the gaming group.
    By being a gamer and dealing on initiatives that the gaming group felt have been genuine and confirmed them in a constructive method, our casting producer had their belief, and subsequently they trusted me — so we had a relationship that was genuine. We made it clear what the present was about: We wished individuals who had met on this world and we wished to observe their tales. Ideally, we wished those who hadn’t met in actual life but. So it was a small casting pool. It was positively not the form of venture the place you’re going to get 500 candidates, however we knew that moving into, as a result of it’s a specialised group of individuals. The nature of their relationships was specialised, too. So we simply talked to them. They had a whole lot of questions for us, and we answered all of them.

    Were the folks you initially spoke to a bit apprehensive about being on the present? As you talked about, the misconceptions about gaming followers has led to some well-deserved skepticism about initiatives like this.
    They have been all very nervous at first, and sure, suspicious. But over time, we earned their belief via the interview course of.
    Did you discover {that a} particular sort of sport or franchise produced extra potential solid members than others? Is there a kind of sport that tends to result in extra real-world romantic relationships like this? 
    Well, positively the multiplayer video games …
    Like Warcraft and MMORPGs?
    Exactly. When we have been casting this, the newest model of League of Legends had simply come out, and World of Warcraft was the most important sport on the time. Those video games have been extremely prevalent within the gamer group. Elder Scrolls was a detailed third. We discovered that the most important video games actually gave us one of the best likelihood to seek out folks.

    Did the distinctive focus of the present on the gaming group current any specific challenges — both logistically or narratively — when presenting their tales?
    Absolutely. Hardcore avid gamers usually have distinctive life. A number of them work all day after which sport all evening — so discovering time that labored for them once we might interview them was tough. There are additionally some avid gamers who’re introverts, so we might often discover one one that was completely prepared to inform their story, however their companion was, effectively … much less prepared. So we had some hassle with that.
    Also, with individuals who solely know one another within the sport, it’s a giant leap to to fulfill in individual after which additionally share that journey with the general public. So there have been positively some {couples} we discovered that in the end weren’t comfy with that concept.
    You talked about that you simply weren’t a gamer coming into this venture, so what did engaged on the present educate you in regards to the gaming followers? There are in all probability going to be lots of people watching the present that aren’t avid gamers, so what do you hope they take away from it?
    First and foremost, the stereotypes round avid gamers have been fully damaged for me. You understand these are individuals who may very well be you or your brother or your daughter. They have extremely vivid lives each out and in of video games, and have the identical targets for relationships and the identical targets for his or her life that any of us do. The avatars they create in these video games create a fair richer life for them, as a result of they’ve that connection to the characters they created and to one another’s avatars, too.
    The different factor I appreciated about this expertise was that these folks fell in love not primarily based on what they regarded like, or how a lot cash that they had, or the automobile they drove, or the place they lived, or who their mates have been. When they fell in love, it was primarily based on the widespread love of those video games and simply speaking to one another — listening to one another’s voices for days, months, or years. That’s such a pure love. It’s not primarily based on all the things society makes so necessary. I believed that was actually unimaginable. And they find yourself understanding one another so effectively and so deeply, simply primarily based on speaking to one another for therefore lengthy.
    All 12 episodes of Happily Ever Avatar are at present accessible to stream on HBO Max.

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