Managing Emotions for Others: Challenges and Coping Strategies Among Online Game Companions

Abstract

With the development of the digital economy and the platform economy, online gaming companions have gradually emerged as a new service profession; this work relies not only on gaming skills but also requires consistent emotional management. However, existing research has largely focused on average players, e-sports athletes, and gaming addiction, with relatively little attention paid to the emotional labor of gaming companions. This study uses the semi-structured interview method to ask 10 online gaming companion. Then, using the thematic analysis, we investigated the emotional challenge, the corresponding strategy and the influence on the mind of their work. In this study, we found that online game companion mainly felt pressure from communication with client, job requirements and mood management. They deal with pressure by immediately adjusting their mood and cognitive reappraisal. Even if you continue emotional labor for a long time, you will often lose interest in the game or feel a little emotional fatigue compared with the serious mental health problem. This study contributes to the emotional labor research in the online gaming companion industry, and can provide psychological support and work management reference for people working on the platform.