« j` suis où », « c’est qui le bleu », « c’est qui valdrek » : usages et fonctions de ces petites questions pour se repérer dans l’espace d’un jeu multi-joueur
Isabel Colón de Carvajal, ENS de Lyon, Laboratoire ICAR (UMR 5191)
Abstract: Our paper examines the uses and functions of short questions related to reference or identification problems in the game’s space. Our work aligns with the perspectives of conversation analysis and interactional linguistics. Based on two corpora – an 8-player LAN session in co-presence and a collaborative 4-players Wii game session – we analyze in detail short interrogative statements, whether they are directed at a specific player or not. Our interest is twofold: from an interactional perspective, we revisit key concepts such as addressing, recipient design, and the adjacency pair question-response; from a micro game studies perspective, we link these to game functionalities and mechanics, including the perception of game spaces, avatars, and the management of temporality. Finally, our study aims to understand whether these are individual and/or collective interactional practices that may be linked to players’ strategic positioning and persist over the course of a game.