The Functions of Role-Playing Games: How Participants Create Community, Solve Problems and Explore Identity
The Functions of Role-Playing Games: How Participants Create Community, Solve Problems and Explore Identity
- Author
- Sarah Lynne Bowman
- Publisher
- McFarland
- Year
- 2010
- Language
- English
Summary
The Functions of Role-Playing Games: How Participants Create Community, Solve Problems and Explore Identity by Sarah Lynne Bowman, published in 2010, takes an analytical approach to the world of role-playing games, providing a theoretical framework for understanding their psychological and sociological functions. Sometimes dismissed as escapist and potentially dangerous, role-playing actually encourages creativity, self-awareness, group cohesion and "out-of-the-box" thinking. The book also offers a detailed participant-observer ethnography on role-playing games, featuring insightful interviews with 19 participants of table-top, live action and virtual games.