Thesis User-Driven Role-Playing in Final
THESIS USER-DRIVEN ROLE-PLAYING IN FINAL FANTASY XIV: IMMERSION, CREATIVE LABOR, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING Submitted by Rachel Tate Department of Anthropology and Geography In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Fall 2019 Master’s Committee: Advisor: Jeffrey G. Snodgrass Lynn Kwiatkowski David Scott Diffrient Copyright by Rachel Tate 2019 All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT USER-DRIVEN ROLE-PLAYING IN FINAL FANTASY XIV: IMMERSION, CREATIVE LABOR, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) give each user the starring role, drawing them into the game’s story and world through their character avatar. Some, however, take role-playing (colloquially, “roleplaying” or “RP”) further by constructing deep and complex narratives for their characters and pitting them against others in new and often spontaneous stories that emerge from collaborative efforts. This research looks at the RP community in the MMO Final Fantasy XIV in order to understand how and why RPers choose this form of play in a game already rich with activities. Specifically, I aim to shed light on the relationship between RP and psychosocial well-being. Drawing on perspectives from game studies, media fandom studies, and positive psychology, this research examines RP through a tripartite model of avenues towards well-being: play, flow, and sociality. A mixed-methods approach is used to gather ethnographic data through participant observation and interviews while also sampling broad patterns through a field survey. A cognitive anthropological “cultural models” consensus and consonance methodology allows for the culture of RP to be assessed in its capacity to reinforce and encourage positive experiences for its participants.
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