Performance and Becoming: Rethinking nativeness in virtual communities

Aroles, J.

doi:10.1177/1555412015616714

Performance and Becoming: Rethinking nativeness in virtual communities

Aroles, J.

Authors

J. Aroles

Abstract

This article seeks to examine how the notions of belonging and nativeness are enacted in virtual communities. It draws from an ethnographically inspired study of the players of a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) that is explored through three key dimensions: space, time, and language. Drawing on concepts developed by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, I argue that the notion of nativeness, in the case of virtual communities, is best approached as a performance embedded in the process of becoming. In that sense, one is not but rather becomes a member of a virtual community. This process of becoming entails an exploration of smooth forms of space and the appropriation of a vernacular form of language.

Citation

Aroles, J. (2015). Performance and Becoming: Rethinking nativeness in virtual communities. Games and Culture, 13(5), 423-439. https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412015616714

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Oct 19, 2015
Online Publication Date	Nov 25, 2015
Publication Date	Nov 25, 2015
Deposit Date	Aug 2, 2018
Publicly Available Date	Aug 3, 2018
Journal	Games and Culture
Print ISSN	1555-4120
Electronic ISSN	1555-4139
Publisher	SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	13
Issue	5
Pages	423-439
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412015616714
Public URL	https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1324783

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Copyright Statement
Aroles, J. (2018). Performance and Becoming: Rethinking nativeness in virtual communities. Games and Culture 13(5): 423-439. Copyright © The Author(s) 2015. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.