Eleanor Carver, "The “Final Fantasy:” Magic, Climate Disaster, and a Survivable Future"
What does the end of Final Fantasy XVI (hereafter: FFXVI) imply about surviving apocalyptic climate disaster, and how can we use FFXVI as a model for using video games to understand the current world environmental crisis? FFXVI is the sixteenth video game title in the Final Fantasy anthology media franchise. This 2023 title explores what happens when anthropomorphous, anthropogenic magic-use wreaks havoc on nature and how ecoterrorism and bonds of kinship can create hope for a survivable future. The world in the beginning of the game teeters on the precipice of apocalyptic climate disaster reminiscent of the world in which we live currently, while the world after the end of the game demonstrates how active resistance is a path towards a better future. In this essay, I focus on the crystals, the Blight, and the end of the game as representative models for real-world climate change. I also look at how the medium (video game) affects the narrative scope and consequence for players of FFXVI. Roleplaying games (RPGs) place the player in the role of the main character; I explore the sense of agency this structure naturally implies for players. FFXVI has players inhabit the character Clive Rosfield, the leader of a magic-wielding group called the Cursebreakers fighting to save the world. I also think about what optional side quests do (or don’t do) to enhance the considerations of the worlds in crisis both in- and out-of-game. I also consider the implications of the platforms the game is available on (PS5 and PC). Ultimately, I argue that FFXVI makes players think about climate change and, in so doing, encourages them to begin to act against climate change, much like Clive and his Cursebreakers.
Kate Rose, "Affirmational Communities and Transformational Objects: utilizing non-literary fan creation in times of crisis"
Whether it’s rewatching a favorite show, repeating an inspirational quote from a comfort character, or listening to familiar music as a means to affect mood, fans regularly turn to their fandoms in times of emotional distress. Yet fandom can be used for more than escapism. Past fanstudies scholarship has explored the ways authors and readers utilize fanfiction, and especially slashfic (fanfiction depicting a relationship between two or more same-sex characters), to explore difficult or taboo topics in low risk, safe, and familiar environments. However, a narrow scholarly focus on fanfiction has resulted in limited research being conducted on the benefits of other (non-literary) forms of fan creation, especially in terms of fandom’s relationship to crisis. Past scholarship has shown the ways fanfiction works to help authors and readers name, define, and process various crises and traumas, yet these same benefits are being gained by fans through the utilization of non-literary forms of fan creation, including art, crafting, and collections, and through the creation and maintenance of fan communities. Furthermore, the physicality of engaging in tangible tasks serve as care practices for fans living in crisis, while the creation and maintenance of fan communities provides care networks and support systems. These fan communities, which are often online, are especially useful to fans who are members of marginalized populations and, as such, may struggle to find meaningful connections locally. Using interviews with individuals engaged in fan creation, as well as the analysis of fanworks submitted to Affirmation/Transformation: Fandom Created, a museum exhibition of fanworks inspired by fine art, this paper looks at the ways fans use their non-literary creations to name and process a variety of traumas and crises, as well as the ways creation of these works become part of a fan’s self-care practices.
Xiaoya Yang, "Digital Refugees: Queer Resistance and Care in Sinophone Fandom Communities"
Confronting the mass commercialization of fandom culture in mainland, China and intensifying censorship on queer-related topics, this paper provides an ethnographic exploration of how small Sinophone fandom community operates as a site of queer resistance and mutual care, particularly among young queer participants. Building on my previous research, which examined the impact of Queer imaginary media on identity construction among gen-z Sinophone readers, I found that readers and creators increasingly organize themselves within small, private group chats on social media rather than in larger, public digital spaces. Participants expressed concerns about capitalized fandom creation labor and intensified online censorship targeting public discussions of LGBTQ+ topics—common themes in fandom works. Describing themselves as “digital refugees,” they emphasized how this shift to small groups enables free writing environment and closer communication with care among each other.
Expanding on these findings, this paper takes a theoretical focus on queer theory, digital ethnography, and cultural anthropology. Drawing on Jack Halberstam’s concept of “queer alternatives,” I explore how small fandom communities serve as subversive spaces that resist exploitation on fandom economy, hetero-patriarchal norms, and digital censorship while simultaneously fostering solidarity (2). Besides in-depth interviews and digital ethnography methods, I integrate participants' fandom into ethnography as both a method of study and a practice of care. This approach contributes to discussions on alternative ethnographic methodologies, while critiquing academic orientalism and underscoring the activist dimensions of participant-researcher relationships.
By situating my research at the intersection of queer theory, Sinophone studies, and cultural anthropology, I aim to contribute this research in the knowledge of Sinophone queer culture. Providing a nuanced understanding of how small digital communities foster both solidarity and resistance, I also intend to study queer as a collaborative practice rather than a culture under gaze.
Reference
Halberstam, Jack. The Queer Art of Failure. A John Hope Franklin Center Book. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2011.
