Exploring Social Network Structure and Demographic Features on Reddit Gaming Communities for Understanding of User- and Topic-Relationship

Abstract

This study investigates the dynamics of user interactions within the gaming community surrounding Genshin Impact, particularly during a backlash over accusations of racism and cultural appropriation following a July 2024 update. By analysing comments and interaction patterns on Reddit, this study employs a feature extraction method based on the TF-IDF concept, enhanced by voting counts, to better reflect users' interests and the nuances of community discourse. The findings reveal significant variances in user characteristics and subgroup interactions, providing insights into the demographic and linguistic variations in culture-based communities on social media.