Slashdolt wrote:
> Because I felt like it*, I decided to figure out if IRTC participation was
> growing or shrinking since its inception.  It looks like it's shrinking.
> :-(

That may not be a bad thing. The average quality seems higher.  Or at 
least the bar for the front runners seems very high.  I know I have 
improved my POV skills considerably over the four or so years that I 
have participated yet I feel farther than ever from being competitive 
with the front runners, even of yesteryear let alone currently.  I think 
that knowing how much work it takes to submit a respectable entry, plus 
rl difficulties has contributed to me not submitting for the last three 
or four rounds.  Part of my interest in providing verbal feedback is to 
help keep some momentum while I regroup on the rendering front.

> 
> Maybe we just need some more interesting topics?  But since we get to vote,
> you'd figure we'd vote for the most interesting ones...
>

   Topics might have something to do with it, but really, I personally 
don't commit to entering, or not, based souly on topic.  It used to be 
about whether I could think of an interesting thing to challenge myself 
with technically, and answer to the topic too.  Now it has more to do 
with whether I have an idea that I want to devote that much effort to. 
That would describe my last entry anyway, ( in the Loneliness round.) 
Now I think that rl worries are probably having the keenest affect on my 
creativity. I would have trouble entering in the near future no matter 
how compelling the topic.


> Big Hit Topics from the past include:
> Loneliness (133)
> Sea (142)
> Imaginary Worlds (143)
> Water (158)
> Night (131)
> Magic (161)
> Glass (183)
> Science Fiction (222)
> 

There seems to be something about irtc/pov that favours broad, 
archetypical topics.  Other groups that run contests seem to come up 
with topics which take more from popular culture.  They seem to cater to 
a greater interest in commercial cg art among the participants.  As cg 
becomes more popularized and as commercial tools become more prevalent 
there may be a shift to these "sexier" forums.  It may be that the whole 
phenomenon is attracting, particularily artist types, away from 
irtc/pov, which seems to be of more interest to science types, who have 
less interest in cg except as a hobby. Notice that "Science Fiction" 
(222) happens to provide a crossover between pop culture and science 
interests.

That is a further reason btw that I wanted to support Renderdogs 
initiative to have further discussion of the entries, to generate a more 
"artist friendly" atmosphere.  POV is a unique tool for artists, but 
there may not be a broad ability to understand just why.

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