Crafting the Game World: Creative Communities and Participatory Culture in Elden Ring

This chapter explores the intersection of consumer creativity and participatory culture within the Elden Ring fan community. I utilize a netnographic study of the Elden Ring subreddit to explore how players collectively engage with the game’s open-world design, nonlinear narrative, and challenging gameplay to create and share original content. Through the examination of fan practices such as lore crafting, character building, and multiplayer etiquette, the study demonstrates how platforms like Reddit generate a participatory culture that fosters a community-enhanced gaming experience. By engaging with the game and each other, players co-create new meanings and gameplay, pushing the boundaries of game design and developing the Elden Ring community identity and experience over time.