Power of Play

The Power of Play develops the concept of altruistic ludics to explain how gamification, critical play, and participatory action organize care, creativity, and civic engagement within contemporary digital culture. Using GISHWHES, the Supernatural fandom, and Misha Collins as its central study, the book shows how playful charitable systems transform acts of charity into collaborative, affectively charged forms of civic participation.Drawing on insights from game studies, fan studies, and theories of affective publics, the book argues that gamified care operates through structures that both shape and limit participation, influencing how labour, visibility, and emotional investment are distributed across communities. It shows how playful civic systems can mobilize creativity and connection while also reproducing inequalities related to access, recognition, and cultural legibility.By situating GISHWHES within broader fandom infrastructures and digital platforms, the author reveals how civic play becomes a site where generosity, humour, and collective experimentation intersect with structural pressures and uneven forms of risk. In doing so, it positions altruistic ludics as a framework for understanding how playful civic engagement emerges, how it circulates, and how it might be redesigned to support more equitable and sustainable forms of participation.