Losing Intentionally: Comedic Resistance to Meritocratic Genshin Impact

Abstract

This article explores how intentional failure in Genshin Impact functions as comedic resistance to the game's meritocratic culture. Genshin Impact promotes a meritocratic system through its mechanics, rewarding players based on skill, time, and labor investment. Through ethnographic research in Chinese player communities, this study examines how players disrupt this meritocratic culture by deliberately failing in exaggerated and humorous ways. Intentional failure transforms Genshin Impact into a site of cultural critique and collective resistance. By embracing comedy and humor, players challenge the game's emphasis on productivity and skill, creating a carnivalesque space in which norms and hierarchies are inverted. This disruption allows players to reclaim the essence of play, emphasizing creativity, community, and liberation over competition. The findings contribute to broader discussions on the politics of play, highlighting the potential for digital games to become spaces of subversion and critique, rather than mere tools for control and productivity.