From Test-Scratch-Wiki

The remix message that appears below a project.

A remix is a modified and shared version of an uploaded project. Remixes, and all projects, are always under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License, the license Scratch uses. As of December 2015, about 29.5% of all recently shared projects are remixes.[1]

The front page row What the Community is Remixing shows the most remixed projects in the past 10 days.


How to Remix

Main article: Guide to Remixing

One of the goals when creating Scratch was to make it easy for users to download and remix other users' projects. Many users find it fun and interesting because it allows them to learn from, experiment with, and add on to the work of other users.

To remix, one must do the following:

  1. Download the wanted project or "See Inside" in the Scratch 2.0 project page
  2. Now, if you look up at where the "See project page" button is you will see another orange box with the word remix in it. Click on this button.
  3. Make required changes. If no changes are made or no credit is given, the remix may be reported.
  4. Share the project.

Once shared, the project will display a little notice reading "Original Project [project]", with a link to the original. Make sure to give credit to the user who created the original project in the notes and credits of the remix (though some users discourage this because the website credits via "Original Project"[2]).

Origin of the Word

The Scratch Team uses the word remix, because that is what musical artists call changing a song by using the same tune but changing the style. It is also related to the word "Scratch," as in "scratching" like a DJ does with records, also related to music. [citation needed]

Before deciding on remix, it was called "mod",[3] but following the recent craze of modifying Scratch, mods got a new meaning. They are now the name for a Scratch Modification. Mod can also have other meanings.

Remix Trees

The link to the remix tree for a project.
An example of a remix tree.

The Remix Tree is a way of showing an extensive hierarchy of remixes originating from one project. To access the remix tree of a project, click the "tree" button at the rightmost edge of the project statistics bar. When visualized, hearts are bundled near projects with many love-its, and one can navigate through the various branches and explore the chains of remixing. If a project has too many remixes, not all remixes will be shown simultaneously, but instead one can select folders of remixes which will then unravel.

Remix Chains

Because of the fun in remixing, many projects were created that were intended to be remixed. They usually dominate the What the Community is Remixing row in the Front Page. As with art projects, many users see them as meaningless, mostly remakes of animations. Popular types are listed below.

Add yourself

These projects involve one or some characters doing something and encourages users to remix the project and add another character doing the same thing. These usually make successful lengthy remix chains as more users "add" characters by remix and remix. Similar things also is done, including adding items instead of another character.

Coloring Contests

Many users make Coloring Contests, abbreviated CC. They tend to have "rewards" for the "winners" the creator of the contest chooses. For example, rewards might be likes, love-its, a drawing, or getting followed. The linearts often feature animals such as cats, wolves and dragons, but there are no rules about which animal to draw.

Polls

Many users have created polls using lists. Each list is one position, and the remixers download the project and add their usernames to the appropriate list. For example, in a fictional poll called "Which is better, math or history?," a list called "math" would contain the names of users who like math better and a list called "history" would contain the names of users who like history better.

Memes

Main article: Scratch Meme


Remakes of animations and games

Popular animations and games often get remixed and then the sprites are replaced with the remixer's own characters or characters relating to the user's chosen theme. The remixes are usually pinned down by some users as they are considered "unoriginal".

Example Projects

Here are a few examples of remix chains:


One of the more recent remix chains was the Scratch Parade.

What the Community is Remixing

Main article: What the Community is Remixing

On the Front Page, there is a section called "What the Community is Remixing" (previously named "Top Remixed"). It shows the most remixed projects in the last ten days. Most commonly appearing in this section are drawing contests and remix chains. In fact, the large number of drawing contests and remix chains displayed in this section has caused many Scratchers to think the section is not diverse enough to reflect the variety of remix projects on Scratch. Despite the fact that many Scratchers support its removal, the row remains because one of the main ideas of the Scratch website is remixing. Upon reflection of the issue, the Scratch Team has stated that they support remixing and that the section of the front page will not be removed — rather, they encourage Scratchers to find a way to bring more diversity to the section.[4]

Scratch Design Studio

On February 16, 2016, a new Scratch Design Studio, "Remix-a-thon", encouraged users to remix one of the three pre-made projects.

Project Copying

Main article: Project Copying

Some Scratchers, rather than remixing a project, download the project and upload it without changing anything. Called Project Copying, this practice is not allowed; any project copies should be reported, with a link to the original remix given in the report. For this reason, it is important to keep track of remixes of your project. This is made easier by notifications for remixing.

Controversy

Some people, especially those who specialize in art projects, do not like the remixing feature, and think that there should be a way to disable it. There has been controversy over 'stealing' art, and although making an exact copy is not allowed, and should be reported, any change makes it a legitimate remix. One of the largest complaints is about recolors, because some users feel that recoloring an art project or just changing the character sprite in a game, or similar changes, should not qualify as remixes.[5][6][7] However, all remixes are perfectly legal. All projects that threaten remixes (such as saying "no remixes") should be reported.

Remixing Your Own Project

There is a bug that allows you to remix your own project. First log into another account (such as a test account). Open a new tab and see inside one of your main account's projects. Then in the first tab switch back to your main account. On the second tab click "remix". This will not only give you a copy of your project, but also make it show up in the remix tree.

See Also

References

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.