Please help a student

[Johannes]

Hello everyone,

I’m a long term active role-player who is starting to work on a masters thesis about the narratology and fiction of table-top RPGs. I’m a Comparative literature major and my aim is to use (and modify) the theoretical framework of literature criticism on RPGs. I’m thinking of something on the lines of Ryan, Genette, Fludernik and Bakhtin but the research question is still very vague at best so I cannot give you more details on it. I’m studying in the University of Helsinki, Finland.

I must admit that my knowledge of the theory of RPGs is much thinner than my knowledge of criticism: I have just recently found the Forge and read the Articles section and I have just started to read the numerous interesting discussions. I also know that rpg.net has information that could be useful.

Since I am in this sense a newbie I must ask you to recommend theoretical sources to me. At this point I’m interested in almost everything: books, articles, web sites, discussions...you name it! All help and advice is welcome and gratefully recieved.

Thanks in advance,

[simon_hibbs]

Johannes,

Welcome to The Forge, I hope you find it a usefull source of ideas, conjecture and entertainment.

Perhaps the best source of accademic analyses of roleplaying is now unfortunately out of print. Interactive Fantasy magazine was a paperback-sized publication edited by Andrew Rilstone, and published by James Wallis. It's contributors included many well-known figures in the games industry. It's possible some issues may still be available.

http://www.hogshead.demon.co.uk/InteractiveFantasy.htm


Simon Hibbs
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[Alan]

Hi Johannes,

The Forge, with its various discussions and Ron's essays, is the best source I've ever found for RPG theory.  

The only academic work I've found is this out-of-print book:

_Shared Fantasy_ by Gary Alan Fine
University of Chicago Press, 1983
ISBN 0226249433

It's based on the masters thesis of a sociologist who observed RPG culture around 1980.  It's a study of the elements that create a sub-culture, but does have some comments on RPG theory.  It's also interesting because he played with M. A. R.Barker, the creator of Tekumel.

[clehrich]

Hi Johannes,

I'm a Forge newbie myself, and I have to say that these guys have some of the most sophisticated thinking about RPGs around.  Fine's book is excellent, but as mentioned it is primarily sociologically oriented; I don't think that you're going to find a lot of Bakhtinian insights there, unless you're talking about RPG play as carnivalesque or something of the sort.

After reading several threads, what strikes me is that there seems to be a shift of perspective here that is in some sense analogous to the conception of postmodernity, or at least extreme reflexivity.  The thread about Type A and Type B effectiveness (sorry, I don't know how to get the URL thing working, but it's very recently active, and the title ended with "LONG"), is a good instance.  In that case, I was startled and delighted to see one writer, Le Joueur, talking about a particular campaign as "about gender" and using sophisticated meta- and in-game mechanics to reward anti-stereotypical behaviors.  The point being that if you're looking for cutting-edge RPG theory, this seems to be the place.

Anyway, I'm certainly hooked.  :>

[Le Joueur]

Hey Clehrich,

In that case, I was startled and delighted to see one writer, Le Joueur, talking about a particular campaign as "about gender" and using sophisticated meta- and in-game mechanics to reward anti-stereotypical behaviors.

Actually, the gender commentary wasn't me, it was Emily Care; I wrote this and this over in the thread you mention.  And hey, I'm glad you like it here; you've got some pretty interesting things to say yourself.

Fang Langford

[Tim C Koppang]

I'm not recommending my paper itself (the thing has major problems that I'm not happy with), but if you want to check out the bibliography at the end of the paper there are some intresting articles and web postings that you can check out.

Here's the link to the paper.