In Pursuit of Victory: League of Legends and a Project of the Self by Oliver Crosby A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology with Specialization in Digital Humanities Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario ©2016 Oliver Crosby Abstract Video games are often recognized as ephemeral arrangements of signs and symbols, arranged to mimic ‘real’ relationships of domination and subjection. The fear, then, is that the subjects produced by video games are habituated, in a straightforward way, toward certain dispositions. Yet when we look at a competitive game like League of Legends, we see an active player-subject, engaged in an entrepreneurial project of self- improvement. This investigation is aimed at power beyond manipulation, asking how an emplaced self is made true in-and-through the pursuit of victory. My autoethnographic account looks at how we become the object of our own conditional existence through interpellation and reflexivity. League of Legends stands as an example of a particular type of reflexive subjectification, one in which we draw on prescriptive texts, guides, and techniques of self-improvement in order to shape ourselves in response to a discursive provocation; in response to the current of opposition. ii Acknowledgements When I read about military comrades, or close friends forged in hard times, I see my fellow grad students. They were with me the whole time: every stumbling block, every bump, every time I careened down that slope that lead to hopelessness. I lucked out. Our group was organized around struggles, meeting every week or so, we called ourselves ‘Friends Against Research and Thesis Stagnation’. I am especially thankful to have worked alongside Preeti Hothi, Kent Hall, and Allison Wallis. Thank you. I owe a lot to Bruce Curtis, who supervised and inspired me to do my MA in sociology. Bruce’s lectures were performances: there were no slides, no videos –the classroom was a stage for ideas. When he walked us through a history of sociological debates every theorist came to life, every concept bloomed. I soon realized that sociological theory was a blasting powder, such that when he made his now-familiar ‘head exploding’ gesture, I was right there with him. I got hooked on that feeling. Outside of the lecture hall Bruce was always down to earth and friendly, with some reservations. Accolades, for example, were rare enough that when given I knew that they were genuine. I also know that he took my work seriously, read every word carefully, yet I wonder if he sees how much he is written into my thesis. It was hard to write for the imaginary Bruce I have constructed in my head, but it was worth it. It was also a privilege to work with Dr. Aubrey Anable. Aubrey was the only professor who, upon hearing about my thesis project, endeavored to actually play League of Legends. I think she was as curious about the game as I was, and on several occasions she helped get be back on the rails. iii My final acknowledgments go to my wife. At my side, Jana was long-suffering and yet kind, overburdened and yet strong, and inexhaustibly supportive. Writing my thesis was like getting sent off to a war inside my head. The only reason I made it through was because Jana stayed back to feed and water my body. iv Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................ iii Epigraph .................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 2 1. ‘Emplaced and embodied’ .......................................................................... 4 2. ‘A self made true’........................................................................................ 5 3. ‘The pursuit of victory’ ............................................................................... 6 Roadmap ............................................................................................................. 7 Chapter I: Theoretical Framework .......................................................................... 9 In pursuit of a subject .......................................................................................... 9 The subject of the video game ........................................................................ 9 The ‘gamer’ .................................................................................................. 10 The ‘power gamer’ ....................................................................................... 12 The Critical Theorist ......................................................................................... 16 Adorno .......................................................................................................... 16 Interpellation ................................................................................................. 19 Interpellation and film studies ...................................................................... 21 New media studies, culture industry, and virtual reality ............................... 24 Interpellation in video games ........................................................................ 29 v The true/false binary ..................................................................................... 31 Prescriptive Texts .............................................................................................. 33 Representation and materiality ......................................................................... 36 The disunity of the virtual ............................................................................. 37 Heterotopias .................................................................................................. 39 1. Heterotopias of crisis and deviation .......................................................... 40 2. Heterotopias in different spaces ................................................................ 41 3. Incompatible juxtapositions ...................................................................... 42 4. Temporal discontinuities ........................................................................... 43 5. Permissive spaces...................................................................................... 44 6. Heterotopias expand the imagination........................................................ 45 Chapter II: Research Strategy ............................................................................... 47 Autoethnography............................................................................................... 50 A hermeneutic ................................................................................................... 55 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 59 Chapter III: Context of the Game ......................................................................... 60 The Multiplayer Online Battle Arena ............................................................... 60 Multiplayer and online .................................................................................. 61 Battle arena ................................................................................................... 62 Before League of Legends ................................................................................ 64 vi Defence of the Ancients ................................................................................ 67 The current of opposition .............................................................................. 68 League of Legends ............................................................................................ 73 The rift .......................................................................................................... 73 Champions .................................................................................................... 79 Gold and items .............................................................................................. 82 Roles ............................................................................................................. 83 The Summoner .................................................................................................. 86 Chapter IV: An Autoethnographic Account .......................................................... 88 Me and my rank ................................................................................................ 88 Beginnings ........................................................................................................ 91 My office ....................................................................................................... 91 Installation and registration........................................................................... 93 Being a new player............................................................................................ 97 Virtual-material conflict ................................................................................ 98 Knowing my newness ..................................................................................... 102 The practical impact of private self-reflection ...............................................