Pemain berinteraksi dengan video game melalui berbagai aktivitas di luar bermain, seperti modding, spectatorship, dan transaksi virtual goods. Dalam kasus DOTA 2, pemain secara aktif berpartisipasi dalam produksi dan distribusi cosmetic item. Riset ini mengeksplorasi dinamika cosmetic item sebagai media-oriented practice dengan mengkaji sirkulasi virtual goods dalam komunitas DOTA 2 sebagai bentuk budaya partisipatoris. Riset ini menerapkan pendekatan kualitatif dan paradigma konstruktivis-interpretif dengan metode studi kasus. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa praktik penggunaan dan sirkulasi cosmetic item terorganisir secara sosial dalam komunitas pemain DOTA 2 serta dalam kehidupan pribadi masing-masing pemain. Aktivitas bermain, menggunakan, dan mengoleksi cosmetic item mengonstruksi secara sosial pengalaman pribadi setiap pemain.

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Players engage with video games through a variety of activities outside of gameplay, such as modding, spectatorship, and transactions of virtual goods. In the case of DOTA 2, players actively participate in the production and distribution of cosmetic items. This research aims to explore the dynamics of cosmetic items as media-oriented practices by looking at virtual goods circulation within the DOTA 2 community as a form of participatory culture. This research uses a qualitative approach alongside a constructivist-interpretive paradigm through a case study method. Findings suggest that the practice of using and circulating cosmetic items is socially organised not only within the DOTA 2 community, but also within each player’s personal lifes. The practice of playing, using, and collecting cosmetic items socially constructs each player’s personal experience.