Queer temporality, chrononormativity and monstrous composition in gameplay compilation videos

In this article, I examine gameplay compilation videos – videos which compile gameplay, cutscenes and other materials from a computer game – through the lenses of Jack Halberstam’s and Elizabeth Freeman’s respective works on queer temporality, Bo Ruberg’s work on queer play in computer games and Sara Howe’s work on ‘monstrous’ fan compositions and composition practices. Starting from Ruberg’s supposition that Halberstam and Freeman’s theories of chrononormativity extend into game worlds and play – i.e. that there is a temporally normative way to play – this article argues that compilation videos operate as ‘temporal monstrosities’, which both record and are themselves instantiations of queer temporality. I examine two different types of compilation videos and analyse how they employ Howe’s monstrous compositional practices to instantiate queer temporality. Finally, I offer thoughts on future research potential and the videos possible use as archival objects.