Year: 2024
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Exploring different play styles is where the distinct pleasure of videogames lies.However, it can be difficult for an individual player to experience the multitude of styles on their own.Spectating game streams provides a window into how different players engage with specific games.According to Boluk and LeMieux (2017), stream watching can be viewed as metagaming, the practice around games, which reveals how players creatively manipulate the original game system through their unique play styles.This paper explores a type of game stream showcasing play styles that are typically not anticipated by game designers.This particular style of play, termed transgressive play (Aarseth, 2007), subversive play (Flanagan, 2009), or transformative play (Salen and Zimmerman, 2004), springs out of "the players' normbreaking and convention-challenging actions" (Mortensen & Jørgensen, 2020, p. 8).According to Aarseth (2007), transgressive play challenges the idea that there are implied players who are inscribed into a game, and thus is crucial for understanding game culture.I term this form of streams as transgressive play streams, and this research aims to understand: How can we conceptualize and study transgressive play streams?What novel experiences emerge from watching these streams?In what ways does stream viewing contribute to the pleasure of play?This paper addresses these questions through a case study.In doing so, this study rethinks the rules of play and the concept of transgressive play.Building on this, I further propose that streams featuring transgressive play bring a unique pleasure regarding a particular videogame, which is entirely different from the pleasure derived from playing the game itself.
Author: Xin Pan
Institution: University of Nottingham Ningbo China
Language: English
Topic: Digital Games and Media
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4411973952