Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jul 2023 Open Access

Tactical Technical Communication and Player-Created (DIY) Patch Notes: A Case Study

Elizabeth Caravella York University ; Steve Holmes Texas Tech University

Abstract

Relying on rhetorical analysis, this article explores the rhetoric and ethics of a particular type of designer- and player-created technical communication genre, video patch notes, to further explore how various technical communication genres structure the experience of play. By providing a case study of official video patch notes for the game Overwatch in combination with Youtube user dinoflask's satirical fan made videos, the article examines both developers’ communication practices and the ways in which players creatively negotiate and re-purpose these practices in order to illustrate how such tactical technical communication remixes sustain a subtle dialogue between players and developers. This dialogue in particular illuminates pain points between stakeholders (in this case, discrepancies between developer intent and player experience) in ways that could potentially offer a means of persuading particularly ideologically fixed audiences, highlighting how practitioners might use tactical technical communication with activist intent.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2023-07-01
DOI
10.1177/00472816221084270
Open Access
OA PDF Hybrid
Topics
qualitative research multimodality social media technical communication

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Gallagher et al. (2024)
    Emojination Facilitates Inclusive Emoji Design Through Technical Writing: Fitti…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

Cites in this index (6)

  1. Edenfield et al. (2019)
    Queering Tactical Technical Communication: DIY HRT
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Colton et al. (2017)
    From NoobGuides to #OpKKK: Ethics of Anonymous’ Tactical Technical Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Jones (2016)
    Narrative Inquiry in Human-Centered Design
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Jones et al. (2016)
    Disrupting the Past to Disrupt the Future: An Antenarrative of Technical Commun…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Thominet (2016)
    10/10 Would Review Again: Variation in the Player Game Review Genre
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Show all 6 →
  1. Kimball (2006)
    Cars, Culture, and Tactical Technical Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Also cites 14 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.7551/mitpress/5334.001.0001
     ↗
  2. 10.4324/9781315573243
     ↗
  3. 10.17265/2159-5313/2016.09.003
     ↗
  4. 10.4324/9780203731260
     ↗
  5. 10.4324/9780203426050
     ↗
  6. 10.2307/378062
     ↗
  7. 10.1177/1461444815608807
     ↗
  8. 10.2307/375964
     ↗
  9. 10.4324/9780203124031
     ↗
  10. 10.1177/1555412007307955
     ↗
  11. 10.29173/irie163
     ↗
  12. 10.7551/mitpress/6875.001.0001
     ↗
  13. 10.1177/030631289019003001
     ↗
  14. 10.2458/jcrae.4898
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 1 View in citation network →

Related Articles

  1. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2020
    Crowdsourcing, Social Media, and Intercultural Communication About Zika: Use Contextualized Research to Bridge the Digital Divide in Global Health Intervention ↗
    Huiling Ding
    qualitative research multimodality social media technical communication
  2. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Mar 2026
    “It's Hard to Show ROI When You’re Preventing Things from Happening”: How Impact Storytelling Frames Community Health Initiatives for Executive Audiences ↗
    Margaret Hsiao
    qualitative research multimodality technical communication professional writing multilingual writers
  3. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Oct 2024
    Role Play: Conversational Roles as a Framework for Reflexive Practice in AI-Assisted Qualitative Research ↗
    Luke Thominet; Jacqueline Amorim; Kristine Acosta; Vanessa K. Sohan
    qualitative research multimodality artificial intelligence technical communication multilingual writers
  4. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2024
    Emojination Facilitates Inclusive Emoji Design Through Technical Writing: Fitting Tactical Technical Communication Inside Institutional Structures ↗
    John R. Gallagher; Rebecca E. Avgoustopoulos
    qualitative research multimodality technical communication
  5. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jul 2022
    Ethical Dimensions of App Designs: A Case Study of Photo- and Video-Editing Apps ↗
    Xiaobo Wang; Baotong Gu
    qualitative research multimodality technical communication multilingual writers