Mapping digital game culture in China: From Internet addicts to esports athletes

Mapping Digital Game Culture in China by Marcella Szablewicz examines the socioeconomic and political changes in mainland China through discourses and affect in the digital game culture. The digital game culture is specific to the post-1980 and post-1990 generations, whose defining cultural features depart from the experiences of generations from the Maoist era. In this exploration of the two generations, Szablewicz maps a journey of continuities and discontinuities in the construction of the ideal Chinese citizen. The map shows how this ideal is “textured” by experiences associated with exposure to digital games, by playing games and creating the digital game culture, as well as by state approaches to regulating digital games and its culture. Moreover, Szablewicz contextualizes the uniqueness of the digital game culture in China against domestic politics as well as international experiences, particularly the affective aspect of digital media.