Love is not Around: Wandan-likes and Precarious Masculinity

Johnathan Harrington

Love is not Around: Wandan-likes and Precarious Masculinity

Johnathan Harrington^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Academy of Language and Culture

Research output: Contribution to conference › Conference abstract › peer-review

Abstract

I argue that the Love is All Around’s unexpected success and wandan-likes’ continued popularity stems from how the games address disenfranchised masculinity, often characterised by self-depreciation (Szablewicz, 2012) and hopelessness (Tan & Cheng, 2020), by offering a semblance of control over their (virtual) romantic fates. However, this bleak reflection still comes with the price of female objectification, as women are characterised as out-of-reach commodities rather than equal sufferers in a post-capitalist society.

Original language	English
Publication status	Published - 1 Jul 2025
Event	DiGRA 2025: Crossroads - University of Malta, Valletta Campus, Valletta, Malta Duration: 30 Jun 2025 → 4 Jul 2025 https://easychair.org/smart-program/DIGRA2025/

Conference

Conference	DiGRA 2025: Crossroads
Country/Territory	Malta
City	Valletta
Period	30/06/25 → 4/07/25
Internet address	https://easychair.org/smart-program/DIGRA2025/

Cite this

@conference{dff9ba356bfb4a28b86c03d6c3dd0be8,

title = "Love is not Around: Wandan-likes and Precarious Masculinity",

abstract = "I argue that the Love is All Around{\textquoteright}s unexpected success and wandan-likes{\textquoteright} continued popularity stems from how the games address disenfranchised masculinity, often characterised by self-depreciation (Szablewicz, 2012) and hopelessness (Tan \& Cheng, 2020), by offering a semblance of control over their (virtual) romantic fates. However, this bleak reflection still comes with the price of female objectification, as women are characterised as out-of-reach commodities rather than equal sufferers in a post-capitalist society.",

author = "Johnathan Harrington",

year = "2025",

month = jul,

day = "1",

language = "English",

note = "DiGRA 2025: Crossroads ; Conference date: 30-06-2025 Through 04-07-2025",

url = "https://easychair.org/smart-program/DIGRA2025/",

}

TY - CONF

T1 - Love is not Around: Wandan-likes and Precarious Masculinity

AU - Harrington, Johnathan

PY - 2025/7/1

Y1 - 2025/7/1

N2 - I argue that the Love is All Around’s unexpected success and wandan-likes’ continued popularity stems from how the games address disenfranchised masculinity, often characterised by self-depreciation (Szablewicz, 2012) and hopelessness (Tan & Cheng, 2020), by offering a semblance of control over their (virtual) romantic fates. However, this bleak reflection still comes with the price of female objectification, as women are characterised as out-of-reach commodities rather than equal sufferers in a post-capitalist society.

AB - I argue that the Love is All Around’s unexpected success and wandan-likes’ continued popularity stems from how the games address disenfranchised masculinity, often characterised by self-depreciation (Szablewicz, 2012) and hopelessness (Tan & Cheng, 2020), by offering a semblance of control over their (virtual) romantic fates. However, this bleak reflection still comes with the price of female objectification, as women are characterised as out-of-reach commodities rather than equal sufferers in a post-capitalist society.

M3 - Conference abstract

T2 - DiGRA 2025: Crossroads

Y2 - 30 June 2025 through 4 July 2025

ER -

Love is not Around: Wandan-likes and Precarious Masculinity

Abstract

Conference

Fingerprint

Cite this