Constructing co-presence through shared VR gameplay

Abstract
This study analyzes how participants playing VR games construct co-presence and shared gameplay. The analysis focuses on in­stances of play where one person is wearing the VR equipment, and other participants are located nearby without the ability to directly interact with the game. We first show how the active player using the VR equipment draws on talk and embodied activity to signal their presence in the shared physical environment, while simul­taneously conducting actions in the virtual space, and thus creates spaces for the other participants to take part in gameplay. Second, we describe how other participants draw on the contextual config­urations of the moment in displaying co-presence and position themselves as active and consequential co-players. The analysis demonstrates how gameplay can be communicatively con­structed even in situations where the participants have differential rights and possibilities to act and influence the game.
Main Authors
Format
Articles Research article
Published
2021
Series
Subjects
Publication in research information system
Publisher
Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main Universitätsbibliothek
The permanent address of the publication
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202110295452Use this for linking
Review status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
2569-6491
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21248/jfml.2021.31
Language
English
Published in
Journal für Medienlinguistik
Citation
  • Olbertz-Siitonen, M., Piirainen-Marsh, A., & Siitonen, M. (2021). Constructing co-presence through shared VR gameplay. Journal für Medienlinguistik, 4(2), 85-122. https://doi.org/10.21248/jfml.2021.31
License
CC BY-SA 4.0Open Access
Copyright© 2021 Margarethe Olbertz-Siitonen, Arja Piirainen-Marsh, Marko Siitonen

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