International journal

Speech Genres

ISSN 2311-0759 (Online)
ISSN 2311-0740 (Print)

For citation:

Galichkina E. N., Akimova O. V. Video game stream as an Internet speech genre. Speech Genres, 2025, vol. 20, iss. 4 (48), pp. 456-465. DOI: 10.18500/2311-0740-2025-20-4-48-456-465, EDN: YUNLBL

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0).
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Language: 
Russian
Heading: 
Internet genres
Article type: 
Article
UDC: 
004.92:811.161.1’38’42
DOI: 
10.18500/2311-0740-2025-20-4-48-456-465
EDN: 
YUNLBL

Video game stream as an Internet speech genre

Autors: 
Galichkina Elena Nikolaevna, Astrakhan State University named after V. N. Tatishchev
Akimova Olga Vladimirovna, Astrakhan State University named after V. N. Tatishchev
Abstract: 

The article presents the analysis of the speech genre “video game stream”, understood as a complex genre formation generated by the streamer’s intention to broadcast video gameplay to the audience over the Internet as well as interact with the audience online. The relevance and novelty of the study are connected with the need to describe the genre diversity of Internet discourse, to identify constitutive features, structural, semantic and pragmatic characteristics of video game stream as a new genre of Internet discourse. The research is based on the analysis of 13 Russian video game streaming channels. In total, 120 hours of video game streams were analyzed. As a result of the research, the authors specify the name of the genre, consider the semantic components of the lexeme ‘stream’, and identify the types of video streams: verbal, visual, polymodal (based on the semiotic criterion), informative, recreational (based on the pragmatic criterion), demonstrative, non-demonstrative (based on the presentation criterion), personal, collective (based on the number of live streamers). The research relied on the parameters developed by E. I. Goroshko and E. A. Zhigalina. As a result, the research has identified the communicative purpose of the video game stream genre, the types of the streamers broadcasting video gameplays (professional and amateur), and the types of the addressees (official and unofficial). Besides, the research has distinguished the genre peculiarities of the video game stream: interactivity, metaludicity, polycode nature, synchronous and mass character, contamination of oral and written forms of language realization. The authors describe the revealed verbal means which actualize the speech genre (game and computer jargon, teen slang, the use of computer games’ realities, words with positive and negative meaning, offensive and obscene language, anglicisms). 

Key words: 
Internet discourse
stream
game stream
Internet linguistics
Internet genres
streamer
web genre study
game jargon
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Received: 
17.05.2024
Accepted: 
15.07.2024
Published: 
28.11.2025