Hardcore in Video Games? Say Less!

Cover image created using Midjourney using prompts: Punks playing video games

My digital artefact is examining Hardcore Music in Video Games, and analysing fan behaviours, characteristics and motivations within the niche. 

My goal for this project is to further understand the convergence of the two respective media formats and observe commonalities between fan behaviours, attitudes and motivations. 

Image created using Midjourney using prompt: guitar hero the video game party

So far, I haven’t been able to find any renowned content creators within the niche, however frequent activity is already seen on Twitch, YouTube, TikTok and Reddit. These are the platforms I plan on using in order to reach an audience within my niche. Whilst implementing an autoethnographic approach to my research, within these platforms I plan to observe forums, history of the niche, memorabilia, and general appeal/draw towards the niche. 

A major part of this project is the necessity to be reflexive, especially within this context, as gaming and hardcore music are both perceived as mainly white male dominated spaces (Ngoc 2022, Shteamer 2023). In order to gain a full spectrum of data, I aim to interact with those of different backgrounds, to obtain different perspectives upon the subject matter.

Referring to my niche map, my aim is to take these relevant factors into account when creating my content and diversifying it in order to effectively communicate with my audience. 

Overall, this approach should allow me to observe, contextualise, and analyse this media niche through an effective and communicative lens, whilst also further developing my own love for the subject at hand. 

References:

Ngoc, M T L 2022, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Games: Gamers Want Less Toxicity in Games and Want Publishers to Take a Stance, Newzoo, viewed 9^th August 2023, <https://newzoo.com/resources/blog/newzoos-gamer-sentiment-diversity-inclusion-gender-ethnicity-sexual-identity-disability>.

Shteamer, H 2023, ‘Hardcore Punk Is Looking (and Sounding) Different Now, The New York Times, 6^th June, viewed 9^th August 2023, <https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/arts/music/hardcore-music-diversity.html>.