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Over the last 15 years, Chinese videogames and fan production have become spaces where state-sanctioned gender norms are reproduced, altered, and challenged. This book analyzes the representation of masculinity in the Chinese MMORPG Jianxiaqingyuan Online (Jian 3) (2009) and how fanfiction writers either reproduce or transform these representations. One chapter shows that the Chinese game, Jian 3, expresses Chinese hegemonic masculinity through game procedures, and its four fanfics borrow game procedures to reproduce Chinese hegemonic masculinity. More specifically, the game expresses a loyalty-based collectivist Chinese hegemonic masculinity through its in-game rewards and game systems. Fanfics transform it into an individualist Chinese hegemonic masculinity, and do so in terms of body, mind, and social position. The analysis thus challenges the long-standing argument that videogame fanfics only adapt characters and settings.
Another chapter explores how Jian 3 expresses soft masculinity through its game characters and other game objects, and how its fanfics reconstruct this soft masculinity as textual feminine masculinities. The game represents soft masculinity through different game objects that function differently in terms of their ambiguity. This ambiguity leads to different and even contradictory interpretations of masculinity in relation to two characteristics: sexuality and the degree of control the characters have over themselves. Three analyzed fanfics take the ambiguous male–male relationships in the game and transform them into explicit homosexual relationships. They establish a form of masculinity characteristic of textual feminine masculinities, highlighting reciprocity, equality, tenderness, androgyny, and intensity. The ambiguous expression of soft masculinity, which in the game is a means of attracting danmei fans while avoiding censorship, becomes in the fanfics a pleasure for fans to reimagine a wide range of sexual orientations and fantasies with alternative forms of masculinity that challenge the heteronormative masculinity proposed by the state.
The book contributes to game studies by providing insights into how masculinity is represented in Chinese MMORPGs and exploring the ideological implications of the relationship between games and fanfiction. It also contributes to fan studies by showcasing the different textual and rhetorical strategies used by fanfic writers to negotiate with state-sanctioned gender norms.
“Masculinity in Chinese Digital Culture is a sharp, original study of how Chinese videogames and their fanfiction make gender politics playable. Moving between game systems, character stories, and fan creativity, the book offers a needed way to understand masculinity, fandom, nationalism, and digital life in contemporary China now, with clarity.” —Dr. Geng Song, Professor at the University of Hong Kong.
“Yuhua Wu’s book offers a timely contribution to game studies, examining gaming in China, fandom, and masculinity. Through a study of Jian 3 fandom, it develops a comparative perspective between Western fandoms and Chinese gaming cultures, highlighting forms of soft and nationalist masculinities and drawing on both Chinese- and English-language scholarship.”—Dr. Hanna Wirman, IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
“This insightful and highly readable book fills a significant gap at the intersection of Chinese game cultures, fan studies, and gender studies. Elegantly written in concise, accessible chapters, it is equally valuable to students and scholars. Timely, original, and compelling, it is poised to become a foundational text in both Chinese game studies and fan studies more broadly.” —Dr. Hugh Davis, Adjunct Lecturer and Researcher, President of Chinese Digital Games Research Association (CDiGRA), RMIT University Melbourne, Australia.
“Masculinity in Chinese Digital Culture is an important contribution to the study of fan-fiction and gender in game studies. Wu grounds her analyses in a novel theoretical combination of Chinese masculinity and game scholarship, yielding insights into how these texts play with contemporary understandings of gender in Chinese culture.” —Dr. Paul Martin, Specially Appointed Professor, Graduate School of Media, Communication, and Tourism, Hokkaido University, Japan.
“The book provides in-depth insight into the game structure and fandom of one of China’s longest-running MMORPG, examining in detail the way the game and its fandom negotiate contemporary notions of masculinity. Wu’s analysis is insightful and nuanced, bringing a welcome addition to scholarship on Chinese gaming cultures.” —Dr. Celia Lam, Dean, College of Liberal Arts; Professor, Department of Communication, Wenzhou-Kean University, China.
Yuhua Hanna Wu’s research focuses on digital media, especially focusing on digital games from the perspectives of fan studies, cultural studies, and gender studies.
Yuhua Hanna Wu’s research focuses on digital media, especially focusing on digital games from the perspectives of fan studies, cultural studies, and gender studies. Her PhD topic focuses on the transformation of ideology and form from Chinese videogames to their fanfiction. In addition to her research, she has designed and taught courses in game studies, media studies, communication studies, and cultural studies. Her work has been published in leading international SSCI (Social Sciences Citation Index)-indexed top journals, including Information, Communication & Society. She currently serves as the Public Relations Officer at the Chinese Digital Game Research Association.