Peiwan: the cruel optimism of China’s online ‘play companions’

In late capitalism, the whole of society metamorphoses into an articulation of production and social relations turn into the relations of production (Tronti 2013 [1962]), leading to increasingly diffuse distinctions between leisure and work. China’s immense e-sports industry supports related platforms such as Bixin, where users can hire online peiwans (play companions). These peiwans chat with players during gameplay, praising them for their victories, and (especially for male peiwans) demonstrate better gameplay techniques. As a form of ‘cruel optimism’ (Berlant 2011), however, such companionship promises fun and seemingly easy money, but it remains untenable in the long run because it takes a heavy toll on the peiwans’ physical and mental well-being. Bixin lightens this burden by informing peiwans of how it ranks their online fame. This revelation suggests that algorithms can be known and knowable if the company aspires to a short-term boost in revenues, but peiwans ultimately highlight the uncertainties that continue to plague China’s e-sports industry.