"There is no escape the daily grind" :everyday lore of Chinese gamers

Abstract

This thesis is based on an ethnographic fieldwork at one Chinese Internet cafe. The presence of Internet cafes in China is declining in general as Chinese modernity has embarked on new courses of developments. This study captures the present of one particular Internet cafe: its daily rhythms of its inhabitants and its quality as a living space. Within the designated boundaries, Internet cafes are inclusive spaces where "controlled loss of control" and regularity become the source of ontological security for the Internet cafe gamers.