Playing with Animal Crossing: A Data-Based Analysis of Regional and Transregional Practices in the Japanese, Korean and Chinese YouTube Space

This paper examines how Let's Play videos and related fan practices surrounding Animal Crossing: New Horizons are organized across YouTube spaces in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. Its central argument is that YouTube engagement with popular games is both transregionally interconnected and regionally specific, and that the form of content matters greatly: entertainment-oriented Let's Plays tend to remain confined to regional audiences, whereas videos that parodically or artistically adapt the game's content cross language and regional boundaries more readily. The author situates this work against scholarship on paratexts, streaming culture, and the increasing nationalization of YouTube, where recommendation systems reinforce geopolitical categories.

The empirical basis consists of the 100 most viewed YouTube videos in each of the three languages about the game. The analysis compares distributions of content type, user networks, and comment languages across these corpora. By examining interaction patterns rather than only individual videos, the study maps how audiences connect or remain separated across linguistic borders, offering a view of the game's YouTube presence at scale.

The findings indicate that a game widely perceived as "global" generates practices that differ considerably by region and by content style. Regional creators such as Hikakin in Japan and The Common Siblings in Korea illustrate how the Let's Play format is shared internationally yet instantiated with local styles and content. The distinction between entertainment-driven and transgressive, adaptive content emerges as a key variable shaping spatial reach.

The paper also contributes methodologically, proposing an approach for analyzing large volumes of YouTube data that can address regional and transregional practices from a distance, a need the author notes is underserved in existing research. The study concludes with a critical evaluation of this method, acknowledging its limits alongside its contributions to understanding the spatiality of videogame culture.