In many cases, collaborating with specific content creators in the Simming community can lend a large advantage in appealing to potential viewers to engage, as different collaborations can hold unique kinds of advantages for entertainment, exclusivity, or access to wider audiences. For example, Simmers will be more likely to watch a collaboration with a game developer, as shown here, because game developers have greater power within the Simming ecology due to their inside knowledge and power over the game's interface. This collaboration provides access to exclusive information; out of all of the other videos uploaded about this new piece of content, TheSimSupply is the only channel with a developer collaboration.

Collaboration

Collaborating with "writing partners" is a vital part of the writing process and the system of interpersonal interactions for successful Simming content creators.

Not surprisingly, large amounts of social capital enable writers to extend more influence into the wider ecology. In the Simming ecology on YouTube, Twitch, and Twitter, these "influencers" are often marked by inclusion into EA's "Game Changers" program. According to the program's website, this program affords select participants with "unparalleled access to exclusive content, studio development teams, real-life events, and the opportunity to have a significant impact on our games." After applying, accepted Simmers often receive free expansion material at an earlier date as well as access to exclusive events where they can receive recognition, network, and receive training in utilizing the game's software to produce content. Game Changers' content is often promoted by the development team on Twitter, granting it access to a larger audience and more "bridging" connections. Participants in this program often utilize the networking it affords to form connections with other popular Simmers and pool audience bases to gain more exposure.

In the first video to the left, TheSimSupply collaborates with one of the game developers at EA. To receive this opportunity, he had to pay to fly to LA from Australia, as this was not an event sponsored by EA. Additionally, this opportunity was available to him because of his large following and previous connections with the developers through his participation in the "Game Changers" program.

Two of the most followed Simmers, TheSimSupply and Deligracy, frequently collaborate and achieve the associated social capital benefits through maintenance of a publicly presented "bond" or bidirectional connection with greater intimacy through friendship. In the second video to the left, they team up to compose a "build" video by participating in a challenge created by Deligracy. The challenge mandates that they must take five minute turns building one house and cannot edit each other's work. Instead, must bring it together into a cohesive final product. Without the pre-existing relationship, this challenge would be more difficult, as each creator would feel more unsure about the capabilities and patience of the other. Additionally, the mutual respect creates a level platform in which both parties feel comfortable to experiment without garnering judgment.

The content created through this interpersonal interaction is stronger than content that they could've created outside of the collaborative environment, because strong collaborative work provides access to harmonious "writing partners." In this example, the two creators act as what Laura R. Micciche would term "writing partners," as they influence each other's work. According to Micciche, writing partners can be "animals, feelings, technologies, matter, time, and materials interacting in both harmonious and antagonistic ways" (44). Ultimately, writing partners shape the writing process and the resultant content through their presence in the writer's ecosystem, for better or worse. Collaborations like this are prime examples of both Micchiche's theory and the system of interpersonal interactions at work because they demonstrate the benefits leant by access to interpersonal relationships along with the impact this collaborative process can have on Simmers' writing process, as it happens.

They initially act "antagonistic" (Micciche 44) to each other in an effort to challenge their composing abilities by adding elements that seem unworkable like yellow, iron fences in a modern style building. But, as the video continues, they become harmonious. This kind of collaborative composition benefits all partners: TheSimSupply and Deligracy are both exposed to a wider audience through the viewers of their peer, and the audience is greeted with content that is unique and an opportunity to give feedback to multiple creators at once.

The video breaks down the barriers of singular authorship by promoting performative composition as a social activity that is shaped by the other parts of its spider web, rather than an activity accomplished best in isolation. Additionally, both content creators are located in the same physical space. This is a bit of a novelty for both the Simming ecology and the creators' specific history of works, as they have, like most content creators in the Simming ecology, filmed these collaboration videos over Skype in the past. This novelty can create more buzz: fans of both content creators are widely supportive of their friendship or perceived "bond" connection, and in-person meetups in a primarily long-distance community are generally celebrated in the comments section. Simming content creators use these collaborations as an opportunity to accrue more social capital, and thus more power in the ecology.

Therefore, the system of interpersonal interaction is negotiated by strategic inclusion and exclusion that can promote individual creators' influence.

For more information about the sources used, visit my Works Cited page.