“A Living and Breathing World…”: Examining Participatory Practices Within Dungeons & Dragons by Corey Ryan Walden A thesis submitted to Auckland University of Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Communication (MCS) July 18, 2015 School of Communication Studies ii Copyright © 2015 by Corey Ryan Walden iii ABSTRACT Permeated and referenced throughout popular culture, Dungeons & Dragons has become iconic as the cardinal and archetypal tabletop role-playing game. Participants have been drawn to D&D for over forty years, departing into imagined and collaborative fantasy worlds. This thesis is concerned with analysing current participatory practices in D&D, accounting for evolving styles of hybridised gaming and retentions of traditional tabletop play. It ventures beyond initial conceptual enquiries, developing tangible conclusions to the questions: “How important is the idea of community when playing Dungeons & Dragons?” and “What is appealing about constructing fictitious identities within the group, actualised through notions of play?” To assist in answering these questions an Internet survey was developed. Survey data is presented, analysed, and contrasted with existing role-playing game scholarship. Emergent findings discuss participant experiences of “entertainment” “fantasy”, “community”, and preferred “D&D editions”. It is strongly contended that D&D transcends the superficialities associated with a “game”. Participants powerfully engage — transmuting participatory experiences into broader realms of purpose and meaning. The game facilitates the continual formation and negotiation of community and identity, demonstrating its wider socio-cultural applicability. The ability and appeal to engage with substantial identity exploration is clearly observable within D&D practices. The game offers participants accessibility into divergent paradigms of reality. Participants’ playful explorations have a lasting effect in the “real world”. Finally, participants develop and enjoy a strong sense of community through their long-term gaming relationships. Regardless of whether these communities are enacted in “online” or “offline” spheres, these spaces endow participants with substantial benefits — belonging, acceptance, and a shared sense of “fun”. Keywords: Dungeons & Dragons, fantasy, game studies, popular culture, sociology. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES ii LIST OF CHARTS ii ATTESTATION OF AUTHORSHIP ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 3 1.0 Introduction 3 1.1 Background 3 1.2 Research Questions and Rationale 4 1.3 Thesis Structure 5 1.4 Definition of Terms 5 CHAPTER 2: THE SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXTS OF DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 7 2.0 Introduction 7 2.1 Overview of Dungeons & Dragons 7 2.2 1960s-1970s Culture: Sex, Drugs & Rock n Role-Playing 8 2.3 The Millennium and Satanic Panic 9 2.4 Post-2000 North America and Fantasy Media 11 2.5 Gaming, Digitality, the Internet and Fandom 12 CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE REVIEW 14 3.0 Introduction 14 3.1 Community 14 3.2 Social Identities: Cultural and Subcultural 18 3.3 Gaming Cultures 21 3.4 Fandom 24 3.5 Nostalgia 25 3.6 Fantasy 27 3.7 Conclusions 29 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 30 4.0 Introduction 30 4.1 Methodology 30 4.2 Research Design 31 4.3 Conclusion 33 CHAPTER 5: SURVEY DATA AND FINDINGS 34 5.0 Introduction 34 5.1 Questions 1-3 34 5.2 Questions 4-6 35 5.3 Questions 7-13 36 5.4 Questions 14-19 41 5.5 Questions 20-30 45 5.6 Conclusion 52 CHAPTER 6: ENTERTAINMENT 53 6.0 Introduction 53 6.1 Experiences of “Fun” 53 6.2 Play 55 6.3 Freedom 57 v 6.4 Adverse Affects of Participation 58 6.5 Engrossment and Identification 60 6.6 Conclusion 62 CHAPTER 7: FANTASY 63 7.0 Introduction 63 7.1 Transmutative and Magical Realms 63 7.2 Morality and Ethics: “My Lawful Good Paladin Kills the Chaotic Evil Witch” 66 7.3 Alternative Interpretations of Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy 70 7.5 Conclusion 72 CHAPTER 8: COMMUNITY 74 8.0 Introduction 74 8.1 Participant Valuation of Community 74 8.2 Online Communities and Digital Hybridisation 75 8.3 Community at a Personal Level: Friendship, Relationship and Belonging 79 8.4 Nostalgia and Community 81 8.5 Conclusion 83 CHAPTER 9: EDITIONS: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 84 9.0 Introduction 84 9.1 Edition Wars 84 9.2 Edition Preferences 86 9.3 Nostalgia and Edition Preference 88 9.4 Current and Future Directions for Dungeons & Dragons 91 9.5 Conclusion 95 CHAPTER 10: CONCLUSION 96 10.0 Introduction 96 10.2 Limitations, Restrictions, and Avenues for Future Research 96 10.3 Conclusions of Research and Significant Findings 97 10.4 Final Conclusion 98 REFERENCES 99 APPENDIX I: GLOSSARY 111 APPENDIX II: RAW SURVEY DATA 113 ii LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1: Core Survey Themes ..................................................................................................................................................... 32 Table 5.1: Reason for “Most Played” ........................................................................................................................................... 39 Table 5.2: Nostalgic Themes ........................................................................................................................................................... 42 Table 5.3: Community Themes ..................................................................................................................................................... 43 Table 5.4: Created Identity Reasons ........................................................................................................................................... 44 Table 5.5: Themes of Impact .......................................................................................................................................................... 46 Table 5.6: Themes of Uniqueness ................................................................................................................................................ 46 Table 5.7: Themes of Enjoyment .................................................................................................................................................. 47 Table 5.8: Reasons for Adversities .............................................................................................................................................. 48 Table 5.9: Themes of Play ................................................................................................................................................................ 50 Table 5.10 Themes of Motivation ................................................................................................................................................. 51 Table 5.11: Themes of Future direction ................................................................................................................................... 51 ii LIST OF CHARTS Chart 5.1: Gender ................................................................................................................................................................................ 35 Chart 5.2: Age Group .......................................................................................................................................................................... 36 Chart 5.3: Player Identification ..................................................................................................................................................... 36 Chart 5.4: Length of Time Playing ................................................................................................................................................ 37 Chart 5.5: Participant Initiation .................................................................................................................................................... 38 Chart 5.6: Edition First Played ...................................................................................................................................................... 38 Chart 5.7: Edition “Most Played” .................................................................................................................................................. 39 Chart 5.8: “Reason for Most Played” ........................................................................................................................................... 40 Chart 5.9: Edition Most Enjoyed ................................................................................................................................................... 40 Chart 5.10: Reason for “Most Enjoyed” ..................................................................................................................................... 41 Chart 5.11: Nostalgic Influence ..................................................................................................................................................... 41 Chart 5.12: Community Importance .......................................................................................................................................... 42 Chart 5.13: Creating Identities ...................................................................................................................................................... 43 Chart 5.14: Created Identity Reasons ......................................................................................................................................... 45 Chart 5.15: Comfort in Group .......................................................................................................................................................