So my research has been focused mostly on role-playing games.
The discrepancy between the true nature of RPGs and their practice has always boggled my mind: why would this entertainment system, with such immense potential for spiritual, pedagogic, and unifying potential be relegated to the status of a simple game fit only for a specific social group with the confined purpose of just diverting our attention from "reality".
Why are RPGs my favorite form of entertainment? because they contain the following elements:
- fully participatory activity, engaging every player present, and open to a great diversity of contributions
- a form of performance in a comfortable environment, where players can enact an infinite number of events
- a safe context for exploring personalities like or unlike our own, where (most) everything is forgiven after the game
- the ultimate excercise of the imagination, balanced by specific rules
- a microcosmic representation of our universe, from an predetermined set of perspectives
- a modern, interactive version of the age-old practice of storytelling - a return to the formulation of etiological stories
I'll have to work on the wording of these perceived advantages.
What is the current perception of RPGs (in most contexts I have encountered):
- an activitiy for geeks, intricately associated with collectable card games, strategic wargames, as well as video games, manga and anime (as opposed to a natural association with stage performance, education, or social work)
- simple entertainment, with no value outside of its own element
- an irreligious, aspiritual, almost selfish act
RPGs have been attacked from various angles, with various reports about their nefarious effects on behavior, the spirit, etc. In part because of this, most of the related academic research has been devoted to defending the practice of RPG, or proving that roleplayers are not asocial, or socially retarded.
Of course, there are other forms of "role-playing", such as that practiced by theatre groups, educators, and various businesses and organizations. However, I have found no overlap whatsoever between these fields. Role-playing is an essentially performative act, and should be of great interest to a great variety of fields.
I have been reading a number of articles on simulations and games as used by various businesses and other organizations. There are several national and international societies focusing on the topic, and a couple of periodicals devoted to it. I have read through the majority of titles from one such publication, without a single reference to RPGs as such. Nonetheless, while reading these articles, I find pertinence to RPGs throughout the text.
The paper I am currently working on is seeking to establish a foundation for an increased exchange between these different fields. The imbalances run thusly:
- Performance Studies takes little notice of RPGs, even though they are a pure form of performance, practiced by thousands upon thousands, most completely inexperienced in "performance" per se
- Research in uses for simulations and games for businesses advances theories for creating functional systems, opening up participants to the activity, debriefing, etc. - all of which are concerns for role-players. More importantly, RPGs have made tremendous progress in all of these areas, without hardly anyone else benefitting from them
- Role-players themselves are often completely ignorant of both the performance aspect of their games, and the potential for "real life" pertinence. When I have discussed spiritual, social and pedagogic applications for RPGs with practitioners, my comments have been perceived as too "serious", and threatening the "true nature" of RPGs. "Role-players are usually not interested in making big changes", I have heard.
It's probably the latter aspect that concerns me the most. So I go back to research conducted by Elena Mustakova-Possardt on "Critical Consciousness" (CC). Those who might be interested in applying RPGs to the advancement of civilization would be those who already have a certain degree of CC - in other words people have developed a balance between the capacities of the heart and those of the mind, people with a will to make a difference in their environment, people with an understanding of their ability to influence the course of history (on however small a level).
My discourse in RPG should therefore speak directly to CC individuals, while awakening an interest in CC from other players. Often role-players perceive their hobby as completely dissociated from the rest of their lives, whereas it could inform their profession, their education, etc.
Research in simulations and games confirms that their practice enhances participants' abilities to negotiate various aspects of "real life", on motivational, social and other levels - especially those simulations and games which reflect dynamics of "real life" on a smaller level. They focus mostly on realistic simulations and games, but the completely fictional world of a RPG can reflects many "truths" of life, such as consequences for certain kinds of actions or behaviors, or how comfortable any given player can be in the face of adversity. One possibility for roleplayers is to determine beforehand what they might like to get out of a game, which focuses the effort and provides a fresh challenge: how easily can an American integrate a foreign culture? how well can a group work together if members have divergent agendas? how do we think of death? etc. These questions can be integrated without taking away the fun - in fact they can be designed to add to it, especially if they are adapted to the level of comfort and the desires of the participants.
This is all still a bit scattered, but the above paragraphs are my beginning attempts to formulate the kind of work that I see myself contributing to in this important field. The place of role-playing games is bound to change radically over the next few decades!
