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Magic, Adventure & Social Participation: Tabletop Role

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Magic, Adventure & Social Participation: Tabletop Role Magic, Adventure & Social Participation: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and Their Potential to Promote Social Inclusion and Citizenship. Anne M. Goodall A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree in Criminology Department of Criminology Faculty of Social Sciences University of Ottawa © Anne M. Goodall, Ottawa, Canada, 2021 Running head: MAGIC, ADVENTURE & SOCIAL PARTICPATION ii Acknowledgments I would like to begin by thanking my supervisor, Professor Alexis H. Truong, whose expertise was invaluable in creating a strong academic thesis. Your insightful feedback helped me “level up” and reach new heights as an academic, and your unwavering enthusiasm helped push me and keep me motivated throughout the long process! I would additionally like to thank my evaluators Valerie Steeves and Eduardo González Castillo for sharing their knowledge and insight to help push my project one step further. I would like to thank all of the participants who shared their knowledge and experiences with me to make this project a reality. It was truly an honour to be privy to your incredible stories and insights. Without you, this project could not have come to fruition or been the success it is. I would like to thank my mom, for supporting me throughout my academic career. Beyond providing me with a roof over my head and keeping my belly full, your unwavering confidence in me and my abilities has been invaluable. I also wish to acknowledge Sebastian Herrera, for being my sounding board, trusty spell checker, and cheerleader. Thank you for helping me push my ideas further, and regularly reminding me of my accomplishments and what I am capable of. Finally, I would like to thank my dad, who although was only present for a short period of my life helped foster my inquisitive nature. Some of my fondest memories are carrying around a dictionary you handed me to look up every word I didn’t know; and every time you asked me “How do you think this works?” or “Why did they do that?” and left me to tinker and think until I figured it out. While my nine-year-old self probably never even thought about postsecondary education, you were giving me all the skills which made this project possible. MAGIC, ADVENTURE & SOCIAL PARTICIPATION iii Abstract Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG) have faced stigma since their inception in the 1970s, and this stigmatization persists to some degree today, arguing these games teach anti-social behaviours. On the other hand, academics have argued for the benefits of game play. These contradictory discourses have led to the question: What are the learning outcomes associated with tabletop role-playing? This study analyzed qualitative semi-directed interviews with nine individuals who have identified themselves as having experienced hardships on which TTRPGs have had a positive effect. Experiences identified by the participants included incarceration, social exclusion, gender transition and mental health-related challenges. It was found that all participants experienced, to varying degrees, social and societal isolation related to their hardships. However, TTRPGs had perceived benefits—for example, self-development, skill development and achievement—which went beyond the gaming context, and had an effect on different aspects of the participant’s lives. I argue that TTRPGs provided a context which acted as a liminal space, helping players transition away from social and societal isolation towards a form of social participation. This suggests that TTRPGs may help players engage in citizenship. This study expands on current RPG research, by looking at the actual experience of playing these games and the long-lasting impact they can have on players. MAGIC, ADVENTURE & SOCIAL PARTICIPATION iv Table of Contents Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... ii Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... iii “You start in a tavern…”—Introduction ................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: The Book of Time—Literature review .................................................................... 6 1.1 Theorizing roleplaying games .......................................................................................... 8 1.2 What are TTRPGs? ............................................................................................................. 13 1.3 The public’s reception of TTRPGs ..................................................................................... 20 1.4 TTRPGs as leisure and social participation ........................................................................ 30 1.5 Leisure as a tool for social participation ............................................................................. 32 Chapter 2: Drawing the Battle Map—Methodology ............................................................... 39 2.1 Recruitment ......................................................................................................................... 39 2.2 Data collection .................................................................................................................... 44 2.3 Data analysis ....................................................................................................................... 45 2.4 Ethical considerations ......................................................................................................... 46 Chapter 3: Meet our Adventurers—Participants’ experiences and the importance of TTRPGs ....................................................................................................................................... 49 3.1 Participant’s experiences .................................................................................................... 49 3.1.1 Incarceration ................................................................................................................ 52 3.1.2 Social exclusion ........................................................................................................... 57 3.1.3 Gender transition .......................................................................................................... 64 3.1.4 Mental health-related challenges ................................................................................. 68 3.2 TTRPGs, escapism and safe spaces .................................................................................... 73 Chapter 4: The Player’s Handbook and More House Rules—How players Characterize game play ..................................................................................................................................... 79 4.1 Game mechanics ................................................................................................................. 79 4.2 Narrative structure .............................................................................................................. 88 4.3 TTRPGs as a liminal space ................................................................................................. 95 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 104 Chapter 5: You’ve Levelled Up! —How TTRPGs can facilitate social participation ........ 106 5.1 TTRPGs and community .................................................................................................. 106 5.2 TTRPGs and self-development ......................................................................................... 111 5.2.1 TTRPGs and skill development ................................................................................. 112 MAGIC, ADVENTURE & SOCIAL PARTICIPATION v 5.2.2 TTRPGs and achievement ......................................................................................... 119 Chapter 6: “So, what do you want to do now?”—Discussion ............................................... 124 6.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................... 124 6.2 Citizenship and TTRPGs .................................................................................................. 126 6.2.1 Resources ................................................................................................................... 127 6.2.2 Roles .......................................................................................................................... 129 6.2.3 Relationships .............................................................................................................. 131 6.2.4 Responsibilities .......................................................................................................... 132 6.2.5 Rights ......................................................................................................................... 133 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 135 6.3 Limitations of TTRPGs..................................................................................................... 136 6.4 Future research .................................................................................................................. 138 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................
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