Broadcasting your virtual self: Exploring the authenticity construction and subjectivity of VTubers in China

The rebuilding of ludic practices is evident with the rise of virtual worlds. “VTubers,” (virtual YouTubers) use virtual reality (VR) hardware and software to create 2D or 3D anime-like avatars for live-streaming. By moving the focus from real-person live streamers to virtual live streamers, the case of VTubers adds a new aspect to understanding “authenticity” in virtual intimacy. Through ethnographic methods, this study examines how VR technologies shape VTubers’ authenticity construction practices, a process that actively shapes their subjectivities. Performing as virtual characters requires VTubers to continuously design gestures, tones, and body movements that align with their avatars’ personas while mastering the use of specialized VR hardware and software. The findings reveal the extensive subjective engagement involved in VR-based play, as VTubers draw upon their emotional attachment to anime culture as well as their intellectual pursuit of cutting-edge VR technologies to perform the “authentic” fictional characters. The shift from physical selves to virtual avatars as objects of desire suggests that VR equipment functions not merely as a tool for gameplay but as an active mediator of users’ expression of their idealized selves in the virtual world. This perspective contributes to a broader understanding of the role that hardware equipment plays in shaping player practices and virtual intimacy.