Beyond Game Culture: How Genshin Impact Gamers Construct Their Identities through Game Media

Ruoyu Liu

doi:10.54097/ytzktz85

Authors

Ruoyu Liu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/ytzktz85

Keywords:

Genshin Impact, Identity Construction, Game Culture, Qualitative Study

Abstract

Game cultures and related industries have boomed in China after the Covid 19 pandemic, attracting a wide range of Chinese. Among recent popular games in China, Genshin Impact has drawn attentions of youngsters and achieved commercial success, creating unique game cultures. This consequence reflects the vibrance of subcultures by young groups because this is the way they connect to the world, getting to know themselves, communicating and interacting with peers and achieving socialization, in this case, gameplay serves as a medium for the young groups to extend themselves. This study presents the mechanisms of identification of Genshin Impact players, self-identity, social identity and relation between them tested. Qualitative research is applied in this study as methology, including in-depth interviews and grounded theory. It was suggested that players construct their self-identities by multi-interaction with game media and construct social identities by communication through game ecology. Furthermore, goods (products featuring elements of a particular intellectual property on them) and game communities link self-identities and social identities of players. This result provides an insight of development of subculture in China.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] Costa Pinto, D., Reale, G., Segabinazzi, R., & Vargas Rossi, C. A. (2015). Online identity construction: How gamers redefine their identity in experiential communities. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 14(6), 399-409.

[2] Klimmt, C., Hefner, D., & Vorderer, P. (2009). The video game experience as “true” identification: A theory of enjoyable alterations of players’ self-perception. Communication theory, 19(4), 351-373.

[3] Qi, Y., Zou, Y., Peng, K., & Wang, F. (2024). The avatar-prioritization effect among online gamers: A perspective from self–avatar identity relevance. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 13(1), 71.

[4] Tajfel, H. (1978). Differentiation between social groups: Studies in the social psychology of intergroup relations.

[5] McCracken, G. (1986). Culture and consumption: A theoretical account of the structure and movement of the cultural meaning of consumer goods. Journal of consumer research, 13(1), 71-84.

[6] Thompson, C. J., Locander, W. B., & Pollio, H. R. (1989). Putting consumer experience back into consumer research: The philosophy and method of existential-phenomenology. Journal of consumer research, 16(2), 133-146.

[7] Straus, A. (1998). Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Basics of Qualitative Research., 265-274.

[8] Charmaz, K., & Thornberg, R. (2021). The pursuit of quality in grounded theory. Qualitative research in psychology, 18(3), 305-327.

[9] Zhou, W., Zhang, Y., Li, Y., Sun, Q., & Yang, Z. (2022). The mechanism of CP fandom behaviors among Chinese young adults: a grounded theory study. Behavioral Sciences, 13(1), 30.

[10] Wu, J., & Singh, D. (2023). Implementing Stochastic Products Selling in Mobile Games: Is Gacha Just Gambling?. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, 24(4), 320-337.

[11] Ganzon, S. C. (2019). Investing time for your in-game boyfriends and BFFs: Time as commodity and the simulation of emotional labor in Mystic Messenger. Games and Culture, 14(2), 139-153.

[12] Rahman, O., Wing-Sun, L., & Cheung, B. H. M. (2012). “Cosplay”: Imaginative self and performing identity. Fashion Theory, 16(3), 317-341.