2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Ethnography of a Small FFXIV Community of Practice

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-24-2026

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Aiden VanderStouwe

Abstract

With the introduction of Discord and other similar platforms bringing people together around a shared interest, new methods of communicating and interacting with others have developed, opening up many research opportunities surrounding the communities that utilize such platforms. This study’s purpose is to help fill that gap by examining a discord community that centers around the video game Final Fantasy XIV: Online and how this community utilizes both Discord and in-game communication methods through participant observation. Data was collected through video recordings of game-play, screenshots of chat messages both in-game and in Discord, and interviews conducted in private DMs. Analysis of the interactions of the 8 most active members of this community found that this group’s use of in-game emotes and custom discord emojis shape the way they communicate across platforms referencing in-game emotes while in Discord, and referencing custom Discord emojis while in-game. Members of this group also utilizes emotes and emojis as a way of communicating complex messages non-verbally both in tandem with words to enhance the message being conveyed and individually without any other words accompanying it.

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