Role-Playing Game Studies by Deterding, Sebastian; Zagal, José;

Short description:

This collection offers readers a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, international, and transmedia examination of roleplaying games Each chapter includes key terms, sidebars with additional content, and recommended readings to help both students and postgraduates new to roleplaying games get the full scope of this interdisciplinary field.

Long description:

This handbook collects, for the first time, the state of research on role-playing games (RPGs) across disciplines, cultures, and media in a single, accessible volume. Collaboratively authored by more than 50 key scholars, it traces the history of RPGs, from wargaming precursors to tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons to the rise of live action role-play and contemporary computer RPG and massively multiplayer online RPG franchises, like Fallout and World of Warcraft. Individual chapters survey the perspectives, concepts, and findings on RPGs from key disciplines, like performance studies, sociology, psychology, education, economics, game design, literary studies, and more. Other chapters integrate insights from RPG studies around broadly significant topics, like transmedia worldbuilding, immersion, transgressive play, or player–character relations. Each chapter includes definitions of key terms and recommended readings to help fans, students, and scholars new to RPG studies find their way into this new interdisciplinary field.

"Multivocal, robust, and, indeed, compelling....Role-Playing Game Studies is an excellent resource and starting point for a great many research projects touching on RPGs, and a welcome addition to the game studies literature."--Alex Chalk, First Person Scholar

"An incredibly wide-ranging look at role-playing games from multiple angles, this book is set to become the authoritative work on the subject for years to come. If you’re looking to learn more about RPGs, whether as a player, researcher or designer, there’s something – many somethings! – in here for you." - Richard Bartle, MMO pioneer, co-creator of MUD, author of Designing Virtual Worlds

"The sheer, massive range of subjects that are covered in Role-Playing Game Studies makes it a must-have for any serious scholar in the field. Especially the interdisciplinary texts are worth diving into - since this is, at its heart, an interdisciplinary field." - Claus Raasted, CEO of Dziobak Larp Studios, Chairman of Rollespilsfabrikken, Co-founder of The College of Extraordinary Experiences

"Given the sheer number of perspectives compiled within this volume the editors skilfully enable and maintain a coherent narrative whilst allowing for different voices and viewpoints to develop and flourish. It is a generous and yet congruent approach that is to be applauded. In summarising over four decades of research, whilst encouraging an interdisciplinary attitude and introducing the reader to current issues (that should serve as inspiration for future studies), this book should be considered as essential reading for any scholar wanting to incorporate RPGs of any variety into their research." - Sam Illingworth, Games Research Network

Table of Contents:

1 The Many Faces of Role-Playing Game Studies

Sebastian Deterding and José P. Zagal

José P. Zagal and Sebastian Deterding

Jon Peterson

William J. White, Jonne Arjoranta, Michael Hitchens, Jon Peterson, Evan Torner, and Jonathan Walton

J. Tuomas Harviainen, Rafael Bienia, Simon Brind, Michael Hitchens, Yaraslau I. Kot, Esther MacCallum-Stewart, David W. Simkins, Jaakko Stenros, and Ian Sturrock

Douglas Schules, Jon Peterson, and Martin Picard

Mark Chen, Riley Leary, Jon Peterson, and David W. Simkins

Jessica Hammer

Esther MacCallum-Stewart, Jaakko Stenros, and Staffan Björk

PART III: DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES

Evan Torner

Sarah Hoover, David W. Simkins, Sebastian Deterding, David Meldman, and Amanda Brown

J. Patrick Williams, David Kirschner, Nicholas Mizer, and Sebastian Deterding

Sarah Lynne Bowman and Andreas Lieberoth

David Jara and Evan Torner

Jessica Hammer, Alexandra To, Karen Schrier, Sarah Lynne Bowman, and Geoff Kaufman

Isaac Knowles and Edward Castronova

Rafael Bienia

Staffan Björk and José P. Zagal

William J. White

20 Worldbuilding in Role-Playing Games

Karen Schrier, Evan Torner, and Jessica Hammer

Esther MacCallum-Stewart and Aaron Trammell

Sarah Lynne Bowman

Sarah Lynne Bowman and Karen Schrier

Jaakko Stenros and Sarah Lynne Bowman

Ashley ML Brown and Jaakko Stenros

Aaron Trammell

Jessica Hammer, Whitney Beltran, Jonathan Walton, and Moyra Turkington