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Chess and Twitch: Cultural Convergence Through Digital Platforms

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Chess and Twitch: Cultural Convergence Through Digital Platforms Chess and Twitch: Cultural Convergence Through Digital Platforms A Virtual Ethnography about Affordances and Capital By: Erik Johansson Supervisor: Fredrik Stiernstedt Södertörn University | School of Culture and Education Master’s dissertation 30 ECTS Media, Communication and Cultural Analysis | Spring semester 2021 ii Abstract This thesis studies online fan communities, using the recent popularity of chess on live streaming platform Twitch.tv as a case study to examine audience and cultural convergence between high and popular culture in a digital community setting. Bourdieu’s theoretical concepts field and capital are utilised in order to investigate changing structures and norms within this converging chess field. Affordances of the Twitch platform, too, are considered as key role players in the transformation of chess culture online. Through participant observation in a live stream channel and through content analysis of online forum materials discussing the Twitch-hosted amateur chess "PogChamps" tournament, the study’s findings suggest that the introduction of a new platform like Twitch into a field like the chess field can fundamentally restructure the community. This can occur because of platform affordances that offer new means for community members to accumulate valuable capital by setting new terms for what constitutes valuable capital and what it means to be "in the know" in the field. Additionally, by bringing new audiences to the chess community, Twitch is a key influencer in developing what can be seen as a new form of fan community centred around chess that emphasises spectacle and entertainment above game proficiency. These findings, the thesis concludes, can be applied in similar community contexts in order to further understand the dynamic nature of online communities. Keywords Online fan communities, cultural convergence, platform affordances, field and capital, virtual ethnography, Twitch.tv iii Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor Fredrik Stiernstedt for offering good advice throughout the process of writing this essay. Without your insights, I would still be hammering away at the thesis introduction. Anne Kaun as well as Sati Sargsyan must also be mentioned here because of their valuable feedback contributed during workshops. Table of contents 1.0. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Chess on Twitch: High meets popular culture ............................................................................ 1 2.0. Purpose statement ................................................................................................................................ 4 2.1. Research questions ......................................................................................................................... 4 3.0. Twitch background .............................................................................................................................. 4 4.0. Previous research ................................................................................................................................. 6 4.1. Twitch Studies ................................................................................................................................ 7 4.2. Fan culture studies ....................................................................................................................... 12 4.3. Chess studies ................................................................................................................................. 16 5.0. Theoretical framework ....................................................................................................................... 18 5.1. Bourdieu’s Distinction ................................................................................................................. 19 5.2. Field and capital ........................................................................................................................... 20 5.3. Affordance theory ........................................................................................................................ 24 5.4. Theoretical summary ................................................................................................................... 26 6.0. Material and Methodology ................................................................................................................. 26 6.1. Material ......................................................................................................................................... 27 6.1.1. Online forum threads............................................................................................................ 27 6.1.2. Live stream material ............................................................................................................. 29 6.2. Ethnography, fan culture and distance ...................................................................................... 30 6.3. Virtual ethnography .................................................................................................................... 33 6.3.1. Participatory observation ..................................................................................................... 34 6.4. Research model ............................................................................................................................ 34 6.5. Limitations and ethical considerations ...................................................................................... 36 7.0. Results and analysis ........................................................................................................................... 38 7.1. "Real" chess and PogChamps .................................................................................................... 38 7.2. Is rating still king? ....................................................................................................................... 43 7.3. Being "in the know": Reinventing the chess online community ............................................. 49 8.0. Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................ 59 9.0. References .......................................................................................................................................... 62 10.0. Appendix .......................................................................................................................................... 70 1 1.0. Introduction It is June 9th, 2020. Hundreds of thousands of viewers have tuned in to Twitch.tv to watch a “PogChamps” chess tournament matchup between former e-sports professional “xQc”—known for his short fuse—and “moistcr1tikal”—whose dry humour, Jesus-like appearance, and cut cameo in the blockbuster Hunger Games movie franchise has solidified him as a popular figure on various corners of the internet. Although this is an amateur tournament on paper, the involvement of chess.com—the world’s leading portal for online chess—and the price pool of $50,000 have raised the stakes considerably. The two opponents, although relatively new to the game, have honed their skills in preparation for the meeting and have practiced under the guidance of high-ranking Grandmaster (GM) players. One of these is GM Hikaru Nakamura, who is also responsible for casting the game and providing commentary alongside his peer Alexandra Botez, Woman FIDE Master. “xQc is going to get his “scotch” opening here, I think,” says Nakamura, analysing the first move made by his understudy. “I’m not sure that I like the variational approach here,” he goes on in response to moistcr1tikal’s subsequent set of moves. And then, stunned silence. Nakamura gazes blankly at his screen, having been rendered speechless by xQc’s fatal mistake. “No, please don’t,’ says Botez. “It’s too soon, Hikaru. We didn’t even reach a climax.” The match is over. In six moves, moistcr1tikal checkmates his opponent. The jubilant winner gets out of his chair and celebrates in a silent dance—as his sound feed is not yet part of the main broadcast. When the commentators finally listen in on moistcr1tikal, they are in for a surprise. “That’s got to be a world record,” the winner muses. “Thanks for the fat 10 gift subs, Pikachu. My d*ck is throbbing. Throbbing! What is xQc’s chat saying right now?” Chess has found a new arena in Twitch, and it has led to a resurgence of the game and changes to its culture that few could have predicted. 1.1. Chess on Twitch: High meets popular culture In the past year alone, chess has emerged as a new trend in popular culture through the Netflix hit series The Queen’s Gambit, which has been credited for managing “to make the game of chess fascinating… and sexy, even” (Nemetz 2020). High ratings have also translated into commercial success, as eBay recorded a 215% boom in chess-related sales following the series’ October 2020 debut (Jones 2021). The groundwork for the revitalisation of the game, however, had already been laid in the preceding months through the live-streaming platform Twitch.tv. In reference to the “PogChamps” tournament 2 highlighted in the opening, Brenan Klain, COO of chess.com, was quoted explaining how the collaboration with Twitch has served to knock chess off its high pedestal, meaning that the game has become more accessible
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