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Keilah Scott

Shuv Raj Rana Bhat

Introductory Composition: Writing as Inquiry 005

21 September 2023

Discourse Community Map and Analysis

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It was the summer of 2020. At this point, COVID was still very prevalent, and I hadn’t

left the house for six months. You might think that I was miserable, but, being that extremely

introverted homebody that I am, I was thriving. Once online school was over I had an entire

summer where I could stay in all day and play video games without being forced to go

anywhere! I already spent a lot of time playing video games before, but now it had increased a

lot (and maybe was borderline unhealthy). I would sometimes watch YouTube videos of people

playing video games, so of course the algorithm would give me video game ads. There was one

in particular that I got a lot of ads for. “Come try Genshin Impact!” “80 Free Wishes!” “Come

explore Genshin Impact!” I had been getting these for around a month, before I was finally

influenced by one ad in particular. “Klee is here!” The introduction of this character, a

destructive little arsonist, was all it took to finally influence me to play the game. I got the game

and obtained Klee as my character, but…now what? I had to make her strong in order to play the

game, and this is what led me to join “Klee Mains”, my discourse community.

Klee Mains is a group that spans across many different media platforms within the

Genshin Impact community. In video games, “main” is the character we use the most in the

game. So in this case, one of the common goals of this discourse community is to use Klee for a

majority of their gameplay. Genshin Impact actually had its third anniversary recently, and as the

game has gotten more advanced, more and more characters have come out. With every new

character comes more advanced and stronger techniques, and since Klee was one of the very first

characters to come out, her kit has gotten weaker and weaker. Because of this, I'd say another one

of the common goals of this group is to simply enjoy the game. Many players focus on the meta

(a video game term which stands for “most effective tactics available”) which involves using the
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strongest teams and characters. Klee is not a strong character and she's very difficult to play with,

but the people in the group still choose to use her because of their love for the character. They’d

rather play with a character they love and take on the challenge of making her strong than play

with the strongest character in the game.

As mentioned previously, Klee Mains span across multiple platforms. The main platform

we use to communicate is Reddit. The group is just one of many subreddits on the platform that

discuss things every day. Members can share and reply to different kinds of posts there. Another

place we communicate is Hoyolab, an app made by the company that made Genshin Impact in

order for players to discuss and receive news about their games. The genre of posts made there

are pretty similar to the ones made on Reddit. We also communicate on YouTube. Many of the

members make videos showcasing their damage, trying out different teams, or just giving guides

on how to play with the character. On those videos we’ll typically communicate in the

comments.

Speaking on genres, there are many different types of posts that can be seen as a genre in

this community. The one I’ve seen most often are discussion posts. These usually include a

question that a certain member is asking a question, and other members responding in the

comments. For example, a couple days ago a new character came out, and with each character

comes a new weapon. Someone recently asked “Is this weapon good from Klee?” with a picture

and the abilities of the weapon in the description. Expert level members who are well versed in

Klee’s kit responded to the question in different ways, like it depends on which characters are on

the team with her, or what kind of elemental reactions she’ll be doing. This is also one of the

most common ways we gain information and feedback. Another genre could be fanart posts.
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These posts are exactly what they seem, posts where one of the members has created a piece of

artwork relating to Klee, and wanted to share their creation. The response to these is typically

always positive, with the members receiving praise for their creativity. My favorite kind of post

made in the group are guide posts, because they helped me out a lot when I was a new member.

These usually include an infographic full of information on where to find the materials to level

up, what Klee’s best weapons and artifacts are, which characters to put on her team, and how to

build them as well.

As has been noticed, there’s a lot of lexis used in this community that wouldn’t be easy to

understand outside the context of the community. There are many acronyms and terms that from

not only the video game community but also the Genshin Impact community specifically that we

tend to use. For example, Genshin Impact is a “gacha game”, which means characters and some

weapons are obtained through a type of gambling system called “wishing”. These wishes

(sometimes referred to as pulls) are made using primogems, intertwined fates, or acquainted

fates, which is like currency. When we wish for a character we get a 5-star character every 90

wishes we make. When we don’t get the limited character for that month, it's called “losing the

50/50”. Another example is “Visions”. Visions are magical gems that grant characters their

elemental abilities. These elements include Anemo (Wind), Geo (Earth), Electro (Electricity),

Dendro (Nature), Hydro (Water), Pyro (Fire), and Cryo (Ice). Klee is a pyro character. Visions

are granted by their corresponding “Archon”. The Archons are powerful elemental deities who

rule over the regions of Teyvat, the game's world. Each Archon represents one of the seven

elements and governs one of the regions. If we do end up getting the character we want, we then

need to build them. A character “build” includes what weapon and artifacts they use. Artifacts
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are equipment items that provide additional bonuses to characters when equipped in sets. These

sets are often themed around specific elements or playstyles. Klee’s best artifact set is the

Crimson witch of flames. Some of the best ways to do damage in the game is by creating

“elemental reactions”. They occur when different elemental effects interact. Examples include

"Melt" (Cryo + Pyro), "Vaporize" (Hydro + Pyro), and Burgeon (Hydro + Dendro + Pyro). These

three are the best elemental reactions to maximize Klee’s damage output.

As you can probably tell, I am an expert in this community. I have been playing the game

for 3 years now, and for one whole year I have been a Klee main. I know everything about her

and the best ways to utilize her playstyle. There are other members on the other hand who maybe

have gotten klee only recently, and there are even people in the group who don't have her yet but

plan on getting her in the future and are trying to prepare. This varying level of expertise allows

us to learn from each other and improve our gameplay, which is the reason I joined.

The "Klee Mains" discourse community, thriving within the vast realm of Genshin

Impact, is a vibrant and passionate group of players dedicated to celebrating and optimizing their

favorite explosive character. The group is considered to be a discourse community, because it

includes the six characteristics given by John Swales. Through discussions, fan art, and shared

strategies, this community has fostered a unique bond among its members. It showcases the

power of fandom, where players unite to exchange insights, advice, and love for a virtual

character, turning the act of gaming into a communal and enriching experience. In the

ever-evolving landscape of online gaming communities, "Klee Mains" stands as a testament to

the lasting impact of characters and the profound connections that can be forged in the digital

realm.