Analyses how Chinese MMORPGs and their fanfiction, particularly Jianxiaqingyuan Online (Jian 3), reproduce, reinterpret, and challenge state-sanctioned masculinity through gameplay and narrative, highlighting both hegemonic and soft masculinities and their transformation in fan works. Over the last 15 years, Chinese videogames and fan production have become spaces where state-sanctioned gender norms are reproduced, altered, and challenged. This book analyses the representation of masculinity in the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) Jianxiaqingyuan Online (Jian 3) (2009) and how fanfiction writers either reproduce or transform these representations. By doing so, the book contributes to game studies by providing insights into how masculinity is represented in Chinese MMORPGs and exploring the ideological implications of the relationship between games and fanfiction. It also contributes to fan studies by showcasing the different textual and rhetorical strategies used by fanfic writers to negotiate with state-sanctioned gender norms.
