Structured autonomy and gaming meritocracy: the production of consent in platform playbor

Abstract This study examines the mechanism of consent production within the emerging occupation of gaming companionship, using Bixin, China’s largest gaming companion platform, as a case. Drawing from in-depth interviews with 18 gaming companions, we explore how consent is manufactured amid conditions of income instability. Despite the precarious nature of their work, gaming companions generally express high job satisfaction and a sense of fairness, believing in the value of hard work and attributing their income variations to personal effort and choices. We argue that the dashenfen (god-tier score) control system provides workers with a sense of autonomy, as they feel empowered to make their own strategic choices in managing relationships with clients. However, this is a “structured autonomy” as this architecture of choice is designed to align their self-interest with platform goals. Moreover, besides the unique workforce consisting of youngsters which allows for the acceptance of fluctuating job opportunities and income, the control mechanism cultivates an ideology of “gaming meritocracy”; it blends meritocratic ideals with elements of gaming culture. This individualizes and normalizes the inherent instability of platform work, thereby encouraging active participation in a highly uncertain environment.