Mapping an online production network: The field of ‘actual play’ media

This article maps out and analyzes relationships shaping production in a growing cultural field of online gaming media production called ‘Actual Play’ (AP). AP occupies an ambiguous economic space between fan production and professional media and is marked by widespread monetization. Drawing on qualitative semi-structured interviews with 24 AP producers, this article uses actor-network theory and the concept of cultural fields to understand that space through an account of the actors constituting it. This maps the how AP producers develop their practices through complex relational networks. The analysis identifies ‘key actor types’ – the varieties of technological, human and corporate actors whose activities give shape to producers’ practices. The article concludes that despite pervasive pressures to professionalize, the field offers limited pathways to vocational sustainability.