Demogroup
Encyclopedia
Demogroups are teams of demosceners, who make computer based audio-visual works of art known as demos
. Demogroups form a subculture collectively known as the demoscene
.
Groups frequently consist of students, young computer enthusiasts who spend days coding their demos. They often have a pseudonym
(called a "handle" or "nick
"), usually chained together with the name of their group (in formats like "Scener of Demo Group" or "Scener/DG"). Demosceners rarely use their real names in demoscene contexts. This is a tradition originating from the demoscene's roots, where small demos were distributed along with cracked software, usually computer games.
Many demogroups have been founded by friends who already knew each other in real life. However, there have also been groups that have taken their form online via Bulletin Board System
s or the Internet. Perhaps the most important way for demogroups to communicate is IRC
. Demosceners from different groups also meet each other in real life at demoparties
and smaller meetings.
Demogroups often bear resemblances to corporate companies: demogroups incorporate wordmark
s, logo
s, catchphrases and slogan
s for their promotion. It is very important for a demogroup to have good PR, and major groups have dedicated group organisers who are responsible for "managing the group's human resources", i.e. nag the members who slack off. Some groups also treat the recruitment of new members with great care, often applying "trial periods" in which the new member has to prove himself to be worthy. However these practices are often just intentional exaggeration (often tongue-in-cheek
), to maintain an "elite" image for the group.
A group is perhaps the most important social unit
in the demoscene, and belonging to a group is often considered more or less synonymous to being a demoscener. Even individual productions, with no group activity involved, are typically associated with the group of the creative individual. There have even been several "one-man groups" when an individual demomaker with no group has wanted to release a demo or intro.
are currently the Nordic countries
(Norway
, Sweden
, Finland
and Denmark
), Germany
, the Netherlands
, Hungary
and France
.
Due to the community-like nature of the demoscene, multi-national demogroups are not uncommon.
s for other coders to base their code on), others code effects which are usually visual representations of mathematical formulas, such as fractal
s or metaballs
.
In the 1990s, coders were most often entirely responsible for the demo's flow and arrangement, including the effect's synchronization to the music and sometimes even the design. Nowadays, software tools known as demotools are widely used, allowing this work to be done by a designer who does not have to be a coder. Many groups, however, still prefer that the coder takes most of the responsibility in the demomaking process, including the design.
In many cases, an attempt for excelling in several areas has resulted in one area outshadowing the others: for instance, coders who try to make music often come up with "coder music" which may be technically passable but lacks artistic ambitions. "Coder graphics" and "coder palettes" are similar terms for graphics and color schemes.
) create the visual coherency behind a demo, which include still pictures, design elements, fonts, colors, 3D objects, textures and animation.
Originally, there was a single type of graphician creating typical 2D graphics (referred to as pixeled graphics because they were typically created pixel by pixel). Ever since demos started using complex (as in, much more elaborate than cubes and donuts) 3D graphics, graphicians that exclusively model 3D graphics are also around, sometimes referred to as (3D) modelers.
In the older days, musicians worked with trackers, and the world of tracked music was heavily dominated by demoscene musicians. In later times, it became possible for the PC demos to use streaming, high-quality music formats, and the musicians started to gradually change their tools to professional music sequencer
s. However, tracked music and other specialized formats still continue to be used in size-restricted intros as well as demos written for more restrictive platforms such as mobile devices and vintage computers.
for making humorous or offending productions without scathing their original reputation - people in a fake group hide behind a pseudonym
(which, considering their demoscene handles, usually becomes a pseudo-pseudonym). This type of masquerading is often just performed to confuse naïve newcomers to the scene; while some fake identities are never revealed for their time of activity, in most cases a large portion of unrelated people are aware of the real persons behind the spoof.
Famous fake groups include NEXTEMPIRE, HiRMU, Elitegroup, rECTUM cAUDA, FiRG!, ODD, Trepaan, Jumalauta and Speedfisters.
One-man groups are usually treated with a mix of respect and curiosity within the scene, because they're not an extremely common phenomenon, and some of the scene marks them as an unnecessary effort for virtuosity, largely because it is virtually impossible to perform above average in all areas - one-man demos and intros usually bear obvious lacks in given areas, depending on whether the creator was more a coder, graphician or musician, who adapted other skillsets later.
Perhaps the most successful one-man army of the demoscene is Dmitry "AND" Andreev, two time winner of the Assembly demo party in the 64k intro
category.
Demo (computer programming)
A demo is a non-interactive multimedia presentation made within the computer subculture known as the demoscene. Demogroups create demos to demonstrate their abilities in programming, music, drawing, and 3D modeling...
. Demogroups form a subculture collectively known as the demoscene
Demoscene
The demoscene is a computer art subculture that specializes in producing demos, which are non-interactive audio-visual presentations that run in real-time on a computer...
.
Groups frequently consist of students, young computer enthusiasts who spend days coding their demos. They often have a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
(called a "handle" or "nick
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
"), usually chained together with the name of their group (in formats like "Scener of Demo Group" or "Scener/DG"). Demosceners rarely use their real names in demoscene contexts. This is a tradition originating from the demoscene's roots, where small demos were distributed along with cracked software, usually computer games.
Many demogroups have been founded by friends who already knew each other in real life. However, there have also been groups that have taken their form online via Bulletin Board System
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
s or the Internet. Perhaps the most important way for demogroups to communicate is IRC
Internet Relay Chat
Internet Relay Chat is a protocol for real-time Internet text messaging or synchronous conferencing. It is mainly designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels, but also allows one-to-one communication via private message as well as chat and data transfer, including file...
. Demosceners from different groups also meet each other in real life at demoparties
Demoparty
A demoparty is an event that gathers demosceners and other computer enthusiasts to compete in competitions. A typical demoparty is a non-stop event lasting over a weekend, providing the visitors a lot of time to socialize. The competing works, at least those in the most important competitions, are...
and smaller meetings.
Demogroups often bear resemblances to corporate companies: demogroups incorporate wordmark
Wordmark
A wordmark, word mark or logotype is a standardized text logo or graphic representation of the name of a company, institution, or product name used for purposes of identification and branding. A wordmark is usually a distinct text-only typographic treatment as can be found in the graphic identities...
s, logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
s, catchphrases and slogan
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
s for their promotion. It is very important for a demogroup to have good PR, and major groups have dedicated group organisers who are responsible for "managing the group's human resources", i.e. nag the members who slack off. Some groups also treat the recruitment of new members with great care, often applying "trial periods" in which the new member has to prove himself to be worthy. However these practices are often just intentional exaggeration (often tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
), to maintain an "elite" image for the group.
A group is perhaps the most important social unit
Social unit
Social unit is a term used in sociology, anthropology, ethnology, and also in animal behaviour studies, zoology and biology to describe a social entity which is part of and participates in a larger social group or society....
in the demoscene, and belonging to a group is often considered more or less synonymous to being a demoscener. Even individual productions, with no group activity involved, are typically associated with the group of the creative individual. There have even been several "one-man groups" when an individual demomaker with no group has wanted to release a demo or intro.
Demography
The countries with the most active demogroups and demopartiesDemoparty
A demoparty is an event that gathers demosceners and other computer enthusiasts to compete in competitions. A typical demoparty is a non-stop event lasting over a weekend, providing the visitors a lot of time to socialize. The competing works, at least those in the most important competitions, are...
are currently the Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
(Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
), Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Due to the community-like nature of the demoscene, multi-national demogroups are not uncommon.
Demoscener functions
Demosceners specialize themselves into various categories to be able to take part in the demomaking process. A few people are able to cross over between multiple archetypes (e.g. coder-musician, musician-designer), but this is by no means a trend.Coder
The coder is the demogroup's programmer who creates the demo's software framework and is responsible for the actual realtime state of the demo. While some coders specialize in developing system-level functionality (such as providing wrappers and APIApplication programming interface
An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other...
s for other coders to base their code on), others code effects which are usually visual representations of mathematical formulas, such as fractal
Fractal
A fractal has been defined as "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole," a property called self-similarity...
s or metaballs
Metaballs
Metaballs are, in computer graphics, organic-looking n-dimensional objects. The technique for rendering metaballs was invented by Jim Blinn in the early 1980s....
.
In the 1990s, coders were most often entirely responsible for the demo's flow and arrangement, including the effect's synchronization to the music and sometimes even the design. Nowadays, software tools known as demotools are widely used, allowing this work to be done by a designer who does not have to be a coder. Many groups, however, still prefer that the coder takes most of the responsibility in the demomaking process, including the design.
In many cases, an attempt for excelling in several areas has resulted in one area outshadowing the others: for instance, coders who try to make music often come up with "coder music" which may be technically passable but lacks artistic ambitions. "Coder graphics" and "coder palettes" are similar terms for graphics and color schemes.
Graphic artist
Graphic artists (or graphicians in scene lingoLingo
, Chris Hernandez is an American Christian rap artist, producer, and label owner-Early years:Lingo was born to Richard and Carmen Hernandez in Dallas, TX. Born into a faith based and God fearing family, Lingo knew the Lord at a young age...
) create the visual coherency behind a demo, which include still pictures, design elements, fonts, colors, 3D objects, textures and animation.
Originally, there was a single type of graphician creating typical 2D graphics (referred to as pixeled graphics because they were typically created pixel by pixel). Ever since demos started using complex (as in, much more elaborate than cubes and donuts) 3D graphics, graphicians that exclusively model 3D graphics are also around, sometimes referred to as (3D) modelers.
Musicians
Musicians are responsible for the composing, arranging, mixing and mastering (and in some cases, performing) the soundtracks and sound effects in the demo.In the older days, musicians worked with trackers, and the world of tracked music was heavily dominated by demoscene musicians. In later times, it became possible for the PC demos to use streaming, high-quality music formats, and the musicians started to gradually change their tools to professional music sequencer
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
s. However, tracked music and other specialized formats still continue to be used in size-restricted intros as well as demos written for more restrictive platforms such as mobile devices and vintage computers.
Fake groups
Demosceners often form fake groups, which are essentially secret identitiesSecret identity
A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate persona , while keeping their true identity hidden. The character also may wear a disguise...
for making humorous or offending productions without scathing their original reputation - people in a fake group hide behind a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
(which, considering their demoscene handles, usually becomes a pseudo-pseudonym). This type of masquerading is often just performed to confuse naïve newcomers to the scene; while some fake identities are never revealed for their time of activity, in most cases a large portion of unrelated people are aware of the real persons behind the spoof.
Famous fake groups include NEXTEMPIRE, HiRMU, Elitegroup, rECTUM cAUDA, FiRG!, ODD, Trepaan, Jumalauta and Speedfisters.
"One-man" groups
Though not strictly "demogroups" by definition, the scene always had various polyhistors who excelled in all areas of demomaking; rather than gathering various other persons to aid them in a creative process, they perform all jobs of programming, musicmaking and visual art themselves. While the obvious disadvantage of this type of working is the multiple of amount of work one must do with a given quality standard, one-man groups usually point out that having no others to work with gets rid of discussions and creative differences alike, and is actually a very free way of working.One-man groups are usually treated with a mix of respect and curiosity within the scene, because they're not an extremely common phenomenon, and some of the scene marks them as an unnecessary effort for virtuosity, largely because it is virtually impossible to perform above average in all areas - one-man demos and intros usually bear obvious lacks in given areas, depending on whether the creator was more a coder, graphician or musician, who adapted other skillsets later.
Perhaps the most successful one-man army of the demoscene is Dmitry "AND" Andreev, two time winner of the Assembly demo party in the 64k intro
64k intro
A 64k intro is a demo where the size of the executable file is limited to 65536 bytes. At demo parties there is a category for this kind of demos, where the one that gives the best impression wins....
category.
External links
- Demogroups at Pouët
- http://www.demoscene.info/groups.en.html