University of San Diego Digital USD Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2020-05-17 An Examination of Gaming Environments in Dungeons and Dragons Groups Joe Lasley University of San Diego Follow this and additional works at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations Part of the Leadership Studies Commons Digital USD Citation Lasley, Joe, "An Examination of Gaming Environments in Dungeons and Dragons Groups" (2020). Dissertations. 170. https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/170 This Dissertation: Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Digital USD. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital USD. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN EXAMINATION OF GAMING ENVIRONMENTS IN DUNGEONS & DRAGONS GROUPS by Joe Lasley A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2020 Dissertation Committee Dr. Cheryl Getz, EdD Dr. Zachary Gabriel Green, PhD Dr. Sarah Lynne Bowman, PhD University of San Diego © Copyright by Joe Lasley All Rights Reserved 2020 University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences CANDIDATE’S NAME: Joe Lasley TITLE OF DISSERTATION: AN EXAMINATION OF GAMING ENVIRONMENTS IN DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS GROUPS APPROVAL: _____________________________________, Chair Cheryl Getz, EdD – _____________________________________, Member Zachary Gabriel Green, PhD- _____________________________________, Member Sarah Lynne Bowman, PhD - DATE: April 20, 2020 ABSTRACT Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TRPG) like Dungeons & Dragons are unique phenomena within the topics of game-based learning and gamification of leadership development. Games in general are used for both game-based learning (learning from playing games) and as sources of inspiration for gamification: the application of game design elements in non-game contexts like business or education. Many potential benefits of playing TRPGs have been observed including transformative experiences linked to collective creativity. Knowing more about the transformative potential of TRPGs can inform facilitation of creative learning environments and guide the use of TRPGs for leadership development. The concept of a holding environment frames play and creativity as activities that promote personal growth embedded in a psychological or group environment. Drawing from a developmental environment framework, a gaming environment can be considered as the psychological group environment present while playing a TRPG. Applying this developmental environment framework to TRPG groups builds on previous research that reports transformative growth in TRPG experiences by providing a group level of analysis. This research explored gaming environments in TRPGs, specifically Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5e). This qualitative study employed content analysis, group observations, and interviews for data collection and analysis. A group of participants was solicited to play D&D 5e specifically for this research. Thematic analysis was used to identify group interaction patterns by observing the group playing D&D 5e over the course of several sessions. Then, semi-structured interviews with the participants were conducted to investigate individual perspectives of specific observations from the group sessions. Interview topics included descriptions of the group of players, defining events in the group, and factors influencing the play experience. Recordings of gaming sessions and transcripts of individual interviews were subjected to continued analysis. Findings indicated that the gaming environment was a psychologically layered container which depended on the use of authority in leader-member relationships and utilized framing and storytelling processes for containing emotions. These findings can be used to inform the design of TRPGs for leadership development and expand how we construct knowledge about group environments in creative contexts. Keywords: gaming, holding environment, role-playing, leader-member exchange DEDICATION For all who foster environments in which people create and experiment with new ways of being that lead to collective transformation and a socially just future. This dissertation is dedicated to the people who have indulged my imagination, supported education, joined in gaming, or accompanied me leadership development adventures. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to Dr. Cheryl Getz for modeling the importance of presence, opening doors of opportunity, and advising me as a leadership educator and student. Also, Dr. Zachary Gabriel Green for showing me an exciting way to embody play, teaching, leadership, and human development on all levels. To Dr. Sarah Lynne Bowman for writing the works that inspired me to pursue this path of study and for sharing her expertise about the transformative potential of role-playing. I am grateful for all of my relationships with professors, classmates, and fellow players that have challenged me and co-created meaningful community experiences on this journey. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ……………………………………………………...……… vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………………………………… viii LIST OF TABLES ...………………………………………………………….………… xii LIST OF FIGURES ………………………………………………………………....…. xiii CHAPTER ONE BACKGROUND …………………………………………..………… 14 Purpose and Research Questions ...……………………………………………………... 15 Tabletop Role-Playing Games ………………………………………………………….. 17 Rise in Popularity ……………………………………………………………….. 18 Dungeons & Dragons ………………………………………………..………….. 19 Developmental Environments ………………………………………………….……..... 22 Significance ………………………………….………………………………………..... 23 CHAPTER TWO THEORY ………………...……………………...…………………... 26 Leadership Development ...…….…………………………...…………………………... 27 Creativity …….……………………………………………………………………..…... 28 Historical Barriers and Stigma ……….………………………………………………..... 30 Psychological Impact …….………………………………….…………………...……... 32 Social Role-Play ..…….……………………………………………….………... 34 Dungeon Masters as Guides ……….………………………………………………...….. 37 Authority and Facilitation ...…….…………………………..…………………... 38 Leader-Member Exchange …….……………………………………………….………. 40 Group Dynamics and Formation ...…….………………………………………...……… 43 Gaming Environments ……….………………………...…………………………...…... 44 viii Re-Casting the Magic Circle ……….…………………………………..……….. 45 Individual ……….………………………………….…………..……….. 47 Interpersonal ……….…………………………………………..……….. 47 Group context ……….…………...……………………...……..……….. 47 Pilot Studies ……….………………………………………………………...………….. 49 Previous Scale and Code Creation ……….……………………………………... 53 CHAPTER THREE METHODS ……….………………………………………...…….. 56 Purpose and Research Questions ………………….……………………………...…….. 56 Data Collection …………………………………………………………………...…….. 57 Positionality ……………………………………...…………….……………….. 60 Content Analysis ………………………………………………..………...…….. 61 Group Observation Details ...………………………………….………....……... 64 Interview Details ……………………………………………………..…...…….. 66 Thematic Analysis ...…………………………………...…………………………...…... 66 Delimitations ....………………………………...…………………………………...….. 69 CHAPTER FOUR FINDINGS ……….……………………………………………..….. 71 Core Concepts ………………………………...…………………………………...……. 71 Gaming Environment Definition …...……………………...…………...……..... 72 Merging Frames in a Gaming Environment ……………………………..…….... 73 Group-as-a-Whole...…………...………………………………………...…........ 74 Group Gaming Purpose ...…………...…………………………………...…........ 75 Organizing Phases of Analysis ……………...……………………………………........... 75 Research Question 1 ...………………………...…………………………………...….... 76 ix Layered Frames in a Gaming Environment ………………………………..……. 76 Content analysis …….……………………………………………..…..... 77 Content analysis themes …….………………………………...……..….. 77 framing ..…..………………………………………………...….. 77 bleed …….………………..…………………………….…..…... 78 immersion …….………………………………………….....…... 78 tension ...….………………………………………..………..….. 79 failure …….……………………………………...…………..….. 81 Group interaction patterns …….………………………………………… 81 Failure response pattern …….………………………………...……..….. 87 Research Question 2 ...….…………………………………………………………..…... 91 Group Dynamics in a Gaming Environment …….………………...………..…... 92 Group observation ..….……………………………………………..…... 92 Formation of parallel environments and norms …….……………….…... 94 Authority and agency …….……………………………………….....… 105 Group development with familiarity …….…………………………….. 110 roles ...….…………………………………………….……..…. 114 Intimacy in role-play ….…………………………………………..…… 115 Displacement and identification ……………………………...……..… 118 Storytelling containment ...….…………………………………...…….. 126 Research Question 3 ….……………………………………………..…........................ 128 Leadership in a Gaming Environment …….…..……………………………….. 128 Individual interviews ...….…..………………………………................ 129 x Psychological safety …….…..………………………………................ 129 Gaming environment ...….…..……………………………………..….. 130 Leader-member exchange as a DM …….…..……………..…………… 133 CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSION ……….……………………………………………... 139 Frame Merging ….…..………………………………………………..……………….. 140 Group Gaming Purpose and Process ...……………………………..………………...... 143 Leader-Member Holding …………………………………………..………………...... 145 Strategies for DM facilitation ……………………………..………………........ 147 Leader-member …..…….…………………………………………....... 148 Group process .……………………………………………………........ 148 Co-creation …………...….………………………………………......... 149 Storytelling Containment ...…….…………………………………………………........ 150 Recommendations ……….…………………………………………………………..... 152 REFERENCES ……….………………………………………………………..……… 154 APPENDIX A Topical Interview Guide