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Virtuosos on the Screen: Playing Virtual Characters Like Instruments in Competitive Super Smash Bros. Melee

Published: 02 May 2017 Publication History

Abstract

Previous research on virtual sociality in games suggests that players use custom avatars to reflect, alter, and perform new identities in digital spaces. However, this study explores an alternative theory of social performance by analyzing a competitive game, Super Smash Bros. Melee, where players face off in timed matches and interact through pre-designed characters. This study shows how Melee players treat virtual characters as performative instruments, similar to the violin or the piano. In forum posts and player-created media, Melee players emphasize the need to train one's hands, eyes, and mind in order to master a character's complexity and express style and skills in live matches. Instrumental embodiment in a competitive game like Melee thus positions players as virtuosos who perform for perceptive audiences. This research points to a range of ways that players may relate to virtual bodies, connected to distinct kinds of social activities.

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  1. Virtuosos on the Screen: Playing Virtual Characters Like Instruments in Competitive Super Smash Bros. Melee

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    CHI '17: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
    May 2017
    7138 pages
    ISBN:9781450346559
    DOI:10.1145/3025453
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    1. avatar
    2. embodiment
    3. esports
    4. instrument
    5. performance
    6. play
    7. player-character relationship

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