"I Never Envy Anyone, for I Have Already Built a Kingdom With My Fingertips": Exploring Teenagers' Experience in Chat-based Cosplay Community

Weijun Li, Yaohua Bu, Suqi Lou, Shi Chen, Lingyun Sun, Changyuan Yang

Abstract: This paper reports an interview study about the practice of teenagers’ chat-based cosplay in China. Findings reveal the four primary motivations of the participants and their main practice in chat-based cosplay. We found that adolescents perceived character presentation and portrayal as a central aspect of chat-based cosplay and they devoted significant effort to refine their characters to achieve higher character consistency. We highlighted the positive feedback loop between social relationships and story creation in chat-based cosplay community. In addition, we identified the influence and negative experiences on adolescents in the chat-based cosplay community.