Literacy Within Genshin Impact by KATALYNA MOUA
Before delving into what culture and technology are within Genshin Impact and its fandom, the two sites must be explained and discussed in regards to Lindquist and Seitz ideas. The two recognized that “to say that literacy is a cultural thing is also to acknowledge that what exactly literacy is and means and does depends on where the cultural scene is, and who is involved,” (Lindquist & Seitz, 55) and go on to imply that the culture they are discussing are not ethnic groups, but rather cultures that are created through specific aspects of media and identities of people. With this in mind, to observe the relationship between literacy and culture is to “better [understand] the motives, values, and social roles of the activities,” (Lindquist & Seitz, 56) like that of the members within the culture. Here is where the literacy practices come into play as we can better our understanding of the culture, “make sense of their perspectives,” (Lindquist & Seitz, 74) and “see patterns that may reveal...people’s deep cultural assumptions and values” (Lindquist & Seitz, 74) through observing how the culture interacts by using the abilities to read and write.
With technology and literacy, Lindquist and Seitz discuss the two in means of technocritical literacy, “assuming that the effects of technology on people's literacy depend on people's social uses for the technology.” (Lindquist & Seitz, 177) In simpler terms, the social uses of technologies of literacy and the contexts and how people use them. Along these lines, Lindquist and Seitz go on to recognize that writing digitally through technology offers different ways for people to interact that are not possible through speech (Lindquist & Seitz, 180). In general, having technology readily available to us allows us to “form social networks to expand [our] literacy practices,” (Lindquist & Seitz, 183) and this can be observed through Genshin Impact. This is where literacy, culture, and technology come together as Genshin Impact’s digital structure allows there to be a culture within its fans–– also known as a fandom. Through observing the members within that culture and their literacy usage on Twitter, their reasons for using literacy are revealed to be to connect and bridge the distance created by the pandemic.
To begin, Genshin Impact is a digital game that can be played on mobile, PC, PS4, and Xbox and was released in September of 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. I became a player in July of 2021 when I noticed that many of the artists I followed on Twitter were playing the game and drawing art of the characters–– fanart–– that I liked. In addition to this, my sister and friend had begun playing the game in 2020 and often discussed the game with me–– it was only a matter of time before I gave into the urge to start playing. The game follows the main protagonist, one of the set of twins that we are able to choose at the start of the game, and their journey to finding their lost twin while also exploring a world unknown to them. While there are options to co-op–– play with up to three other players–– and send messages to each other, Genshin Impact does not offer any other means of interactions between players. In response to the lack of communication and interaction options/abilities, many turned to social media such as Instagram, Reddit, Amino, YouTube, and most prominently Twitter where I made my observations by examining tweets and comments made between the Genshin Impact fandom.
While Twitter does have the option of using hashtags–– links that are used for categorizing different fandoms, topics, etc–– I found that observing those interactions did not give me the best insight into the fandom as artists within the fandom predominantly used #GenshinImpact to circulate their fanart. Instead, I observed interactions between players on my usual Twitter feed–– tweets that the accounts I follow posted, retweeted, and liked as well as tweets that Twitter accumulated based on my likes–– since I follow a large number of Genshin Impact players and consumers. These tweets were not hashtagged but provided a more insightful and accurate representation of the fandom and their usage of literacy. Like the two I interviewed, my sister “T” and friend “R”, conveyed, Genshin Impact has been a source of distraction and comfort especially during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic (Appendix B&C). They also expressed that Twitter allowed the fandom to create a more accessible way to interact with a larger amount of Genshin Impact players that the game’s co-op and messaging options do not and cannot offer.
Referring back to Lindquist and Seitz that “to say that literacy is a cultural thing is also to acknowledge that what exactly literacy is and means and does depends on where the cultural scene is, and who is involved,” (Lindquist & Seitz, 55) the Genshin Impact fandom and community on Twitter is a literacy culture in and of itself as the cultural scene of the fandom is within the game and Twitter, and the literacy is reading the game lore, writing about the game, and talking to others about it. From here, the literacy practices, “a culture's or group’s various ways of reading, writing, and talking about texts,” (Lindquist & Seitz, 57) in Genshin Impact that I observed were players interacting and communicating about the game events, characters, lore and headcanons–– knowledge that is held in a group about specific subjects and fan’s personal interpretations of actual game content respectively–– and even theories (Appendixes A-C). As the interactions were based off of the game and lore, it goes on to reveal that many Genshin Impact players read the story lines within the game. Genshin Impact also has voice overs–– lines that character’s have about their past, home region, occupation, and more–– that add to the richness of characters (Appendix B) that player’s read and base their knowledge of the character off of. Much of the interactions on Twitter were text heavy, oftentimes including opinions, questions, humor, sadness, and excitement and even Genshin Impact jargon (Appendix A). The way in which player’s interacted with one another as well were personal and informal which is telling of the culture to be one of comfort and a means of human connections during the Covid-19 peak and even as the pandemic is beginning to fade out. This goes on to reveal the social meanings of their culture are the comfort and the means of human connections that the fandom initially stemmed from.
As Lindquist and Seitz discussed technology in terms of technocritical literacy, “assuming that the effects of technology on people's literacy depend on people's social uses for the technology,” (Lindquist & Seitz, 177) the personal and informal literacy practices that the Genshin Impact fandom practiced on Twitter is solely because of the technology they are interacting about and on. Take for example if the Genshin Fandom were to communicate about the game through Zoom in a classroom setting, the participants would most likely practice their literacy practice in a more formal and less personal way and present themselves in a different light. This goes to show that the Genshin Impact fandom is able to interact and engage in their literacy practices in the way they do due to the Twitter aspect of their interactions, and along the way introduce others to the game as well (Appendix B). Genshin Impact and Twitter also allows for the players to form groups within the large fandom that in turn can help broaden their literacy practices. These groups range from artists, entertainers, different languages since many speak other languages other than English (Appendix A), and many other groups. There are even cases where work bosses and co-workers play Genshin Impact and affect the way in which they all interact with each other on an in-person level that the digital structure of Genshin Impact and Twitter do not permit (Appendix A). It can be noted here that while there are a number of ways to interact whether online or in-person, Lindquist and Seitz find that writing oftentimes allows for there to be a different kind of interaction that speech or in-person speaking does not offer (Lindquist & Seitz, 180) and this is demonstrated in how we have become dependant on writing throughout the years to tell stories like Genshin Impact and theories like the fandom. All in all, a community stems from these human connections that can be formed through reading, writing, and talking about Genshin Impact like “R” expressed (Appendix C).
With culture and technology, while there is not always a relation between the two sites Genshin Impact and its fandom on Twitter do go on to create and relay such a relationship. As stated before, the digital structures of Genshin Impact and Twitter allow a culture to form and emerge from them. In other words, a culture was created because of technology. The literacy practices of this culture go on to relate to technology as a site as most, if not all, of the interactions between players happen online whether in game, on Twitter, or on other social media apps and platforms (Appendix A). This goes on to demonstrate the ways in which the sites that Lindquist and Seitz identified can be viewed in. In terms of Genshin Impact, Twitter, and the fandom we can view it in the lens of technological culture or cultural technology with how intertwined the two sites are. Viewing the interactions in this way goes on to reveal the bridge they have created for human connections through technology that allowed the fandom to exist.
Through observing Genshin Impact’s fandom on Twitter and in the interviews I conducted, we are able to better our understanding of the fan culture and see patterns that reveal their “deep cultural assumptions and values” (Lindquist & Seitz, 74) to be that of comfort and human interaction. As stated before, the Covid-19 pandemic prompted distance and the fandom has overcome such distance through the game and engaging in their literacy practices on Twitter. From here it can be noted that while the Genshin Impact fandom is large and very present online, there are a multitude of fan cultures online that read, write, and talk about specific things as well. These fan cultures that emerge and engage in their literacy practices online are telling of the socioeconomic conditions that arose from the pandemic, as many turned to literacy and engaged in such digital literacy. It is this digital literacy that “carries the social values of our time,” (Lindquist & Seitz, 12) as we begin to see that games, shows, books, bands, sports, etc and the fandoms that are created are much more than what they are, and rather are means of human connection with or without the pandemic.
Works Cited
Lindquist, Julie, and David Seitz. The Elements of Literacy. New York, Longman, 2008.
KATALYNA MOUA is a junior pursuing a degree in English with a minor in Creative Writing. Selected by Jennifer Stone.