Playing (with) Videogames

Abstract

This paper examines the practices and activities of videogame fans online. In scrutinising a variety of player-produced texts including walkthroughs, fan art, fiction, 'theorising', Frequently Asked Questions lists (FAQs), and even fan-games, the article seeks not only to highlight the creativity and vibrancy of the participatory culture of videogame fandom but also to examine the ways in which production of such texts and the ensuing discussion and debate are used by players to generate and communicate their identity within the community of 'hardcore' game fans (often known as otaku) and modify the terms of engagement with the game. In this way, the paper interrogates player-produced texts as examples of the involvement and activity of players in the construction of videogames' meaning and as a means of problematising discussions of the pleasures of gameplay.