Work

Gaming Together on Discord: Teen Gamer's Cross-Platform Practices

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Discord is one of the most popular communication platforms among gamers. While prior research has highlighted its role in community building, relatively little attention has been paid to its original gaming context—how it shapes gameplay and social experiences. To address this gap, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 teenage Discord users. Through reflexive thematic analysis, we show how players leverage Discord to create more collaborative and socially enriched experiences that extend beyond the game itself. However, gaming together on Discord also resulted in social and security risks. We conceptualize gaming together on Discord as a cross-platform practice that extends gameplay beyond a game and supports players’ social needs. Additionally, cross-platform practice also introduces the ‘platform gap,’ where fragmented governance between platforms exposed players to risks. To address this tension, we propose design implications aimed at bridging the platform gap, strengthening communication channels, and supporting safer gaming experiences.

Source: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction

DOI: 10.1145/3831286

Authors: Elena Koung, Xinning Gui, Yubo Kou

Institution: Pennsylvania State University

Language: English

Topic: Digital Games and Media

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: National Science Foundation

Award: SaTC: CORE: Small: Community-Based Support for Learning Community Norms