Online Gaming as a Virtual Forum

Abstract

As videogame scholarship takes hold in the academy, attracting the attention of researchers and critics from a variety of disciplines, a frequently asked and salient question is, “What existing theoretical frameworks are appropriate for this nascent field?” This short essay argues that Horace Newcomb and Paul Hirsch’s article, “Television as a Cultural Forum,” provides a useful starting point for conceptualizing the social meaningfulness of online, multiplayer gaming. Skins, mods, fan sites, and in-game communication channels emerge as a cultural network by which players can speak through, and about, their communal play.