Paid to Play: Gender, Intersectionality, and Labor Control in Platform-Mediated Game Gig Work

Abstract

Using data from 27 game companions working on a gaming freelancer platform E-Pal, this study explores the nature of their work, how workers’ intersectional identities relate to their work experiences, and how the platform manages its gig workers. The findings suggest that their work is a type of playbor where the boundaries between “work” and “play” have merged. Gaming companionship work is highly affective, as producing or manipulating relationships and emotional responses is more important than gaming itself in the labor process. This type of work is also precarious and gig workers view their work and income as unstable. There are six forms of labor control on the site: setting exclusion criteria, creating unique identifiers, performance management mechanism, centralizing payment, filtering search results, and gamification. But the platform also provides space for labor’s autonomy and resistance, such as communicating outside of the platform, setting prices, and choosing customers. Finally, this study analyzed the labor practice using a gender and intersectional perspective. Findings show that female workers, especially Asian and Latina females, are more successful but they experience more gender-related stereotypes and objectification. Consistent with previous research on platform economy, the findings suggest that Black workers are especially marginalized. On an international labor platform such as E-Pal, languages, time zones, and local political economy also matter in the labor process.