''This Spartan Life'' is a

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...

created by Bong + Dern Productions and produced and directed by Chris Burke, who hosts the show under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Damian Lacedaemion . Premiering in 2005 and distributed over the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

, the show is created using the

machinima Machinima, originally machinema () is the use of real-time computer graphics engines to create a cinematic production. Most often, video games are used to generate the computer animation. The word "machinima" is a portmanteau of the words ''ma ...

technique of recording the video and audio from a

multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly and still sometimes branded as Xbox Live, is an Internet, online multiplayer video game, multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft. It was first made available to the Xbox ...

session of

Bungie Bungie, Inc. is an American video game company based in Bellevue, Washington. It is a studio owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The company was established in May 1991 by Alex Seropian, who later brought in programmer Jason Jones (progr ...

first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

Halo 2 ''Halo 2'' is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox console. ''Halo 2'' is the second installment in the ''Halo'' franchise and the sequel to 2001's critically acclaimed '' ...

''. The half-hour episodes are released in six smaller parts, called modules. Guests, such as Bungie's audio director

Martin O'Donnell Martin O'Donnell (born May 1, 1955) is an American composer known for his work on video game developer Bungie's series, such as '' Myth'', ''Oni'', ''Halo'', and ''Destiny''. O'Donnell collaborated with his musical colleague Michael Salvatori ...

are interviewed via

within the online multiplayer worlds of ''Halo 2'', and most recently ''Halo 3''. In addition to regular shows, special content has been created for Spiketv.com and the 2006 Machinima Festival. A premium edition of ''

Halo 3 ''Halo 3'' is a 2007 first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the ''Halo'' franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in 2001's '' Halo: Combat Evolved'' and continued in 2 ...

'' includes exclusive ''This Spartan Life'' content. Most recently, ''This Spartan Life'' has been distributed on Xbox Live's central hub for Halo, Halo Waypoint. The new episodes on Halo Waypoint include interviews with members of the band

OK Go OK Go is an American rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, now based in Los Angeles, California. The band is composed of Damian Kulash (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Nordwind (bass guitar and vocals), Dan Konopka (drums and percussion), and ...

and an interview with

Ultima Online ''Ultima Online'' (''UO'') is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released on September 24, 1997 by Origin Systems. Set in the '' Ultima'' universe, it is known for its extensive player versus player combat system. ...

creator

Richard Garriott Richard Allen Garriott de Cayeux (''né'' Garriott; born July 4, 1961) is an American video game developer, entrepreneur and private astronaut. Although both his parents were American, he maintains dual British and American citizenship by birth. ...

Episode format

''This Spartan Life'' consists of episodes separated into five or six modules of varying lengths. These modules are the core of the show; they vary from episode to episode. However, there are some common threads. Every show starts with a talk-show standard, the monologue, during which Damian lays out the show ahead, as well as a small comedy bit. This is the only "stable" segment of the show, besides the Solid Gold Elite Dancers, as it has appeared in every episode. The Solid Gold Elite Dancers segment is a dance segment (usually), set to music by Glomag, the pseudonym of the creator Chris Burke, and in Episode Three was a full-fledged music video. The segment "Body Count", which appeared in the first two episodes, is a debate between two contestants who make their points while fighting each other. The Travelogue segment is a

glitch A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system, such as a transient fault that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as among ...

montage, which is set to music, and is one of the most popular segments, as the show's original fans were

glitchers Glitchers is a British independent video-game company based in Dalston, East London. It was founded in 2013 by Matthew Hyde, Hugo Scott-Slade, and Maxwell Scott-Slade (of Johnny Two Shoes). Glitchers is best known for developing ''Sea Hero Qu ...

. The rest of the segment are usually the interviews, with the guest of the show.

Characters

''This Spartan Life'' has a full cast of characters, each with their own unique qualities, which serve to move the show along. As is typical in machinima, the characters have very strong personalities and are heavily characterized in order to make up for the weakness of machinima: the inability to act. The host, Damian Lacedaemion, is a personable soldier in grey with a smiley face emblem adorning his armor. He leads the show with his carefree manner, and when his guests come under fire, he often has to fall back on his soldiering skills to save them. He tries to rise to a "higher level of discourse" and is the center of the civil nature of the show. Damian has a shotgun, named Phil, which can talk, and prefers to be used exclusively by Damian and will fight anyone attempting to use him without authorization. The show's DJ, DJ Octobit, is named in a reference to the 8-bit music he plays in the show. He creates the music for the show on his DJ console, which looks like a strange round pedestal. He never speaks, yet he has defended Damian on several occasions. In the first episode he is referred to as Doctor Octobit, but later his name was changed to DJ Octobit. The show featured a co-host under the tag of d4rk5had0w other-wise known as K. He played a small role in the mini-series as a stand-up comedy Spartan but later left the show. The show also features the Solid Gold Elite Dancers (a reference to the 1980s television series '' Solid Gold''). They usually dance to music by Glomag, the alias of Chris Burke, and a segment in the show is reserved for them.

History

However, before episode one was released the name was changed to ''This Spartan Life'', and all releases have been under that name. The show, while fairly popular, saw a spike in popularity with the release of its fifth blog, which centered on

network neutrality Network neutrality, often referred to as net neutrality, is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) must treat all Internet communications equally, offering users and online content providers consistent rates irrespective of co ...

. That episode became widespread and was shown to the United States Congress. ''This Spartan Life'' experienced a surge in media attention, as shown by ''This Spartan Life''s press page. In October 2009, episode 6 was released after a long hiatus. this was explained in-show that they were 'working out kinks'.

Production

The guests are either interviewed on

, or in Bong + Dern's sound booth. Most shows are made, at least in part, on Xbox Live; however, not all of the show segments can be filmed exclusively on Xbox Live, due to issues of in-game latency ("lag"), which would otherwise prevent the coordination seen in the Solid Gold Elite Dancers. The cameras are created using the "gun-drop glitch", which causes them to lose their weapons, thus providing a less obstructed screen. The guests for the show are usually interviewed in Bong + Dern's sound booth. As of the most recent release of media (Episode 5, Module 4) the cast has moved to ''Halo 3'', utilizing the Saved Film feature for capturing. ''This Spartan Life'' straddles the real and virtual world. It is filmed in and intentionally incorporates the unpredictability of the open environment of Xbox Live. During a filming session, others engage earnestly in a multiplayer game in the same area, and may sometimes attack the host or his interviewee. Occasionally, Burke and his guest devolve into firing at each other's avatars.

Episodes

The Original Series

The original series of This Spartan Life consists of 7 episodes.

Blogs

In July 2005 This Spartan Life began a blog series focused on the virtual production.

Halo Waypoint

In 2010, 343 Industries asked This Spartan Life to make 8 episodes for the Halo Waypoint Channel on Xbox Live. A total of 10 episodes would be released. These episodes ran from April 2010 until May 2011.

Selfies in the War Zone

Selfies in the War Zone is a short lived side series to TSL.

Reception

''This Spartan Life'' has been mentioned by

Attack of the Show! ''Attack of the Show!'' (''AOTS'') is an American live television program and that aired on G4. AOTS features segments on pop culture, video games, and movies. After an initial run from 2005 to 2013 (which originally aired from 2005 until 2013 ...

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...

, ''

Wired Magazine ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online magazine, online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquar ...

'', and Google Current.Knighton. The show won an award for Best Machinima Series at the

2005 Machinima Film Festival This is a list of film festivals dedicated to machinima, the use of real-time 3-D engines in filmmaking. The Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences (AMAS) regularly holds such festivals, and recognizes exemplary machinima works through awards nickna ...

and 2008 Machinima Film Festival. and was nominated for the same award in 2006, but did not win.2006 Machinima Film Festival: WINNERS & Nominees. The show was featured at Festival Nemo in France. Special videos have been created for Spiketv.com and the 2006 Machinima Festival. The show has gathered a large online community of both new media advocates and gamers.

References

External links

Official siteOfficial site (archived)
{{Halo series Machinima based on Halo (franchise)