Creating Ideal Partners of Our Own : A Digital Ethnography of Call of Duty Otome Fandom
Yang, Zi (2025)
2025
Master's Programme in Game Studies
Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2025-12-11
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-2025120911420
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-2025120911420
Tiivistelmä
This thesis explores how female fans of Call of Duty apply the Otome pattern in their fan practices on RedNote, a Chinese social media platform. Through collective fantasies, the Otome community constructs idealized romantic relationships that belong to themselves and thus fulfill their emotional needs that are lacking in everyday life. The thesis aims to reveal an authentic form of Otome fan practice and to draw more attention to Otome culture.
By using a digital ethnography approach, I closely engage with the fandom and capture collective narratives embedded in fan works. Through my observation, I find that character portrayals within the fandom normally follow clear boundaries or standards. Interpretations other than those shapes acknowledged by the community might be considered as a misreading of the characters. The reasons behind those practices are sticking to fans’ emotional needs and desires.
This thesis provides first-hand data on fan participants and offers a new perspective on understanding Otome culture. The findings highlight that, in contrast to previous research outcomes, fandom can show hostility toward minorities and align with mainstream ideologies. Although fan culture is well known for appropriating original materials, it can still be exclusionary on various levels.
By using a digital ethnography approach, I closely engage with the fandom and capture collective narratives embedded in fan works. Through my observation, I find that character portrayals within the fandom normally follow clear boundaries or standards. Interpretations other than those shapes acknowledged by the community might be considered as a misreading of the characters. The reasons behind those practices are sticking to fans’ emotional needs and desires.
This thesis provides first-hand data on fan participants and offers a new perspective on understanding Otome culture. The findings highlight that, in contrast to previous research outcomes, fandom can show hostility toward minorities and align with mainstream ideologies. Although fan culture is well known for appropriating original materials, it can still be exclusionary on various levels.