Technical Communication Quarterly Jul 2016

“Good” Grief: Subversion, Praxis, and the Unmasked Ethics of Griefing Guides

Matthew Beale Dominion University College ; Megan McKittrick Old Dominion University ; Daniel Richards

Abstract

This article uses genre-field analysis (GFA) to examine Minecraft griefing guides: user-generated documentation that operationalizes destructive approaches to gameplay. Griefing guides promote subversive praxis while forwarding a utilitarian ethical system that alues hedonistic schadenfreude, running counter to morals of cooperation championed by most Minecraft players. Published in online forums where debates over conflicting praxis continue, these guides explicitly address, rather than mask, the negotiation of ideological values and ethical systems within a community.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2016-07-02
DOI
10.1080/10572252.2016.1185160
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Closed
Topics
genre theory
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

  1. Lee (2022)
    The Ethics of Extrapolation: Science Fiction in the Technical Communication Classroom
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Peter et al. (2020)
    “Figure 4, Peyote”: Comics and Graphic Narrative in Anarchist Cookbooks, 1971-Present
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Thominet (2018)
    How to be open: user experience and technical communication in an emerging game…
    Communication Design Quarterly

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CrossRef global citation count: 9 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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