Role-Playing Game Studies

Transmedia Foundations

Sebastian Deterding editor José Zagal editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:24th Apr '18

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

This hardback is available in another edition too:

Role-Playing Game Studies cover

This handbook collects, for the first time, the state of research on role-playing games (RPGs) across disciplines, cultures, and media in a single, accessible volume. Collaboratively authored by more than 50 key scholars, it traces the history of RPGs, from wargaming precursors to tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons to the rise of live action role-play and contemporary computer RPG and massively multiplayer online RPG franchises, like Fallout and World of Warcraft. Individual chapters survey the perspectives, concepts, and findings on RPGs from key disciplines, like performance studies, sociology, psychology, education, economics, game design, literary studies, and more. Other chapters integrate insights from RPG studies around broadly significant topics, like transmedia worldbuilding, immersion, transgressive play, or player–character relations. Each chapter includes definitions of key terms and recommended readings to help fans, students, and scholars new to RPG studies find their way into this new interdisciplinary field.

"Multivocal, robust, and, indeed, compelling....Role-Playing Game Studies is an excellent resource and starting point for a great many research projects touching on RPGs, and a welcome addition to the game studies literature."--Alex Chalk, First Person Scholar

"An incredibly wide-ranging look at role-playing games from multiple angles, this book is set to become the authoritative work on the subject for years to come. If you’re looking to learn more about RPGs, whether as a player, researcher or designer, there’s something – many somethings! – in here for you."- Richard Bartle, MMO pioneer, co-creator of MUD, author of Designing Virtual Worlds

"The sheer, massive range of subjects that are covered in Role-Playing Game Studies makes it a must-have for any serious scholar in the field. Especially the interdisciplinary texts are worth diving into - since this is, at its heart, an interdisciplinary field."- Claus Raasted, CEO of Dziobak Larp Studios, Chairman of Rollespilsfabrikken, Co-founder of The College of Extraordinary Experiences

"Given the sheer number of perspectives compiled within this volume the editors skilfully enable and maintain a coherent narrative whilst allowing for different voices and viewpoints to develop and flourish. It is a generous and yet congruent approach that is to be applauded. In summarising over four decades of research, whilst encouraging an interdisciplinary attitude and introducing the reader to current issues (that should serve as inspiration for future studies), this book should be considered as essential reading for any scholar wanting to incorporate RPGs of any variety into their research." - Sam Illingworth, Games Research Network

ISBN: 9781138638907

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 1066g

494 pages