"This game cured my depression": Celeste Steam reviews as platformized community archive of transformative play

Abstract

User-generated game reviews on the commercial digital distribution platform Steam can be productively conceptualized as a platformized community archive of player experience and reception. Examining the indie platformer Celeste as a case study through the disciplinary lenses afforded by the fields of game studies and archival studies, I explore the potential for how Steam reviews can function as paratextual historical artifacts. In the specific case of Celeste—a game widely renowned for its positive trans representation and portrayals of anxiety and depression—the game's Steam reviews become more than just consumer feedback and coalesce into a vibrant, living archive where the game's fan community can express the transformative impact the game has had on them. By archivally framing Celeste's Steam reviews this way, I can more explicitly reveal the game's influence on its fans' mental health, their understanding of gender identity, and their approach toward persistence, difficulty, and failure. This leads to considering how born-digital paratexts such as fan reviews can and should be archived, highlighting the importance of user-generated content as a vital piece of a game's cultural and historical legacy. Ultimately, the potential of Steam reviews as a valuable, yet ephemeral, resource for future game historians is underscored.