Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

RoleplayingGamesUsedasEducationalandTherapeuticToolsforYouthandAdults

byW.A.HawkesRobinson
RPGResearchProjectDocumentID:RPGRA0000420120930F.cc
OriginalVersion20081210
Revised20111206
RevisedforreleaseunderCreativeCommons:20120930

RoleplayingGamesUsedasEducationalandTherapeuticToolsforYouthandAdultsbyW.A.HawkesRobinsonislicensedundera
CreativeCommonsAttributionShareAlike4.0InternationalLicense.
Basedonaworkathttp://www.rpgresearch.com/documents/rpgresearchproject/rpgforedandtherapy.
Permissionsbeyondthescopeofthislicensemaybeavailableathttp://www.rpgresearch.com/disclaimers.

Roleplayinggaming(RPGing)isacooperativerecreationalactivitywithmanyvariants.There

wasaconsiderableamountofnegativepressinthe1980'saboutaspecificfantasyroleplayinggame

(RPG)calledDungeons&Dragons.Thiscontroversycreatedastigmathatcontributedinpartto

significantlyslowingtheadoption,acceptance,andgrowthoftheroleplayinggames(RPGs)bythe

generalpublic.DespitethisstigmathereisslowlyincreasinguseofRPGsineducationaland

therapeuticsettings.Therearestrongindicationsfromdozensofscientificstudiesthatroleplaying

gamingcanbenefitmany,ifnotmost,populationgroupsfromchildrentoelderly,fromlearning

disabledtophysicallydisabled,andevenforhelpwithsomeformsofmentalillness.

Roleplayinggamesarecooperative,improvisational,structured,andfreeforminteractive

stories(Phillips)thattakeplaceintheparticipants'imagination,usuallyseatedaroundatableand

usingpaperandpenciltokeeptrackofeventsandpersonaofnote.Typicallyoneoftheparticipantsis

chosentoactasthenarrator,orreferee,ofthisnoncompetitiverecreationalexperience,known

variouslyastheGameMaster(GM)orDungeonMaster(DM).TheGMcreatesormodifiesthe

settingsinwhichtheotherparticipants,thePlayerCharacters(PCs),willinteractwitheachotherand

variousNonPlayerCharacters(NPCs)underthecontroloftheGM.Thegroupofparticipantsthen

dynamicallyunfoldaseriesofsocialinteractionsandeventsforanimprovisationaltheaterlike

Page 1 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

experience,butgenerally,exceptinthecaseofliveactionroleplaying(LARP),withoutphysically

actingoutanyoftheactivitiesoftheircharacters.

Thereareanearlylimitlessnumberofsettingsavailableforthesegames,rangingacrossall

genresfrommedievalfantasytosciencefiction,WildWest,horrorandsuspense,mysteries,

historicalrecreations,militarysettingsandmore.Iftherehasbeenascenarioofinteresttopeople

expressedthroughwriting,visualarts,movies,audio,legend,folklore,history,orothermedium,there

islikelyaroleplayinggametofitthatsetting.

Unlikemostsocialgamesthatarefrequentlycompetitiveinnature,mostroleplayinggamingis

cooperative,withnoclearlydefinedwinnersorlosersandpotentiallynodefinedendtothegame.

Insteadthegoalisforamutuallyrewardingexperienceforaslongastheparticipantswish.

Justasitisverydifficultforanyonetoreallyunderstandtheexperienceofperforminginalive

theater,concert,skydiving,orracing,withouthavingparticipatedintheactivities,manypeoplefindit

difficulttounderstandexactlywhatroleplayinggamingislikewithoutexperiencingitfirsthand.

Howeverasmalltasteoftheexperiencecanbehintedatbytakingthetimetoillustrateasample

gamesession.InhisunpublishedpsychologicalstudyLookingThroughtheGlass:AnExplorationof

theInterplayBetweenPlayerandCharacterSelvesinRolePlayingGames,NicholasYeephrasedthe

overallfeelingofRPGparticipantsveryaptlywhenhestatedthatRPGsarenotjustagame;theyare

anexperience.

Itisalreadywellestablishedwithinthetherapeuticandpsychologicalindustriesthatrole

playing,sansthegamingaspect,canbeaverypowerfultherapeutictool(Tietel).Therearealreadya

varietyofwellestablishedtherapeuticroleplayingrelatedmodalitiesincludingGestalt(Perls)and

psychodrama(Bell).TheTherapeuticRecreationindustry,representedbyorganizationssuchasthe

AmericanTherapeuticRecreationAssociation(ATRA),hasestablishedfordecadesthatrecreational

Page 2 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

activities,andspecificallygames,haveverystrongtherapeuticbenefits(AustinandCrawford203

204).

ThereisasteadilygrowingmovementinrecentyearstousenonRPGgamesforeducation

(Moursand6)andtherapy.Oddly,thevariousbranchesofthepsychotherapyworldhavenotyet

significantlydelvedintothebridgeofthesemodalities,namelythecurrentseparationofroleplayingas

therapy,andgamesastherapywhichwouldthenbeunitedtogetherasroleplayinggametherapy.

Thisresistancecouldbeduetotheongoingstigmacausedbythecontroversialpublicityof

roleplayinggaminginthe1980s(Walton),butthereisnoclearindicationasofyetwhyRPGswould

notbelogicallyincludedinthetoolsetofmodalitiesforrecreationtherapyspecialistsattheveryleast,

andforconsiderationbymoregeneralizedpsychotherapistslookingforalternativemodalities.

RPGingoverlapswithanumberofotherdomains'benefits,specificallyrecreation,education,

therapeutic,andsocialization,asillustratedintheVenndiagrambelow.

Diagram 1

Recreation Education

Role-playing Gaming

Socialization Therapeutic

Inreactiontothestrongnegativepublicityofthe1980s,therehavebeendozensofresearch

Page 3 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

studiesperformedtoproveordisprovethenegativeclaimsmadeagainstroleplayinggames.Itis

possiblethatthismuchpublicizedcontroversyhasbeenthecontributingfactorindelayingthe

adoptionofroleplayinggamesbythepsychotherapycommunity.Theendresultisthatalarge

numberofpeoplehaveavoidedorevenbannedroleplayinggamingandtherelatedbooksand

componentsduetotheirbeingfearfulofthekindofinfluencethattheymaybringwiththem(Walton).

Overtheyearstherewereincidentsofschoolsandstoresremovingandbanningthebooks,and

forbiddingtheactivityafterschool.Ahobbythatentertainsmillionshasbecomethesubjectofscorn;

(Walton).ThisdebateiscoveredinmoredetailintheRPGResearchdocumentTheDefamationof

roleplayingGamesandGamers.Furtherdiscussiononthisdebateisbeyondthescopeofthis

document.

Inspiteoftheaforementionedstigma,theredoesatleastappeartobesometractiongainingin

someeducationalsettingsusingroleplayinggamestoenhancethelearningexperienceinclassroom

settings.Thisstartedwithahandfulofinstructorsandschoolstryingalternativeapproachesto

teachingaclasshereandthereusingroleplayinggamestoenhanceaparticularsubjectsuchas

socialstudies(Haddad).Inrecentyearsroleplayinggamingasapartofthecurriculumhasgrownto

bemorewidelyacceptedinmoremainstreamacademicsettingsforallagesfromelementaryand

middletohighschoolthroughcollegelevel(Haddad;Cruz;McClain1;Phillips).Thesecoursescovera

broadrangeofdisciplines,rangingacrossthespectrumincludinglanguagearts(McClain1),

mathematicsandstatistics(Walton),socialstudies(Haddad),history(Cruz),andEnglishasasecond

language.

BecauseRPGsarelanguagecenteredcommunicationgames,theyhaveadefinitepositive

effectonstudentsocializationskills[andlanguagedevelopment]whicharecentralto

RPGs(Phillips).

Page 4 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

Sinceeventhesimplerroleplayinggamesaretypicallywrittenforatleastforaneighthgrade

readinglevel,andmanyareatamorechallenginglevel,roleplayinggamesstronglyencourageand

enhancereadingskills.Anotherbenefitforthosewhoparticipateinroleplayinggaming,isthatthey

areofteninspiredtolearntoresearchinspecificareasofknowledgesuchashistory,language,

politics,demographics,craftsmanship,geography,sciences,literature,andmanyotheraspectsthat

theyfeelwillenhancetheirexperienceinfuturegamesessions.

Most,thoughnotall,roleplayinggamestypicallyusediceasameansofrepresentingthe

uncontrollablerandomnessofcircumstancesindeterminingwhetheraplayer'scharactersucceedsin

variousactions.Thisconstantuseofvariablesmeansparticipantswillfrequentlybeimmersedin

mathematics,statisticalanalysis,andalgebraiccalculations.

Despitethenegativeclichstothecontrary,RPGsareinherentlyasocial,andsocialskills

developing,activity.Participantsfrequentlydeveloplifelongfriendships,andotherslearntoworkwith

peopletheynormallywouldhavenothingelseincommonwith.

OnthetherapeuticsideoftheRPGcoin,therearealargenumberofotherbenefitsforthose

whoengageinroleplayinggaming.Therehavebeenseveraldozenofficialscientificstudiesrelatedto

RPGssincethe1980s.Mostofthesestudieshavebeencorrelativeratherthancausalintheirdata

acquisitionandcomparison.Thismeansthattwo,ormore,setsofdataarecomparedtodetermineif

thereareanytrendsinthedatathatmatchoroverlap.Whenastrongmatchingpatternisfound,then

thereisadirect,positivecorrelation.Sometimesthereareinverse,negativecorrelationsaswell.Most

ofthesestudieshavebeenverysmallinthenumberoftestsubjects,thescopeofvariablestracked,

andthetimeperiodsobserved,soonlyafewcausalaspectshavebeensomewhatdefined.This

leavesthepossibilityofahighbiasindataduetothelimitedselectionsizeofthepopulationsstudied,

andthelackofsingle,double,ortripleblindstudymethodologies.Thisleavesasignificantgapstill

Page 5 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

waitingtobefilled.TheRPGResearchprojectintendstofillmanyofthesegapsovertime.

DespitethenotablepaucityofwellfundedresearchonthetherapeuticaspectsofRPGing,

whatresearchthereishasbeenforthemostpartverypromisinginindicatingthegreatpotentialfor

roleplayinggamingbeingapowerfultherapeuticmodalityformanypopulationgroups.

Studieshaveshownsignificantbenefitsinallayingdepression.AsWayneBlackmoncolorfully

statedina1994casestudyontheeffectsofallowingasuicidallydepressed19yearoldtouseD&D

asanoutletandemotionaldevelopmenttool,Theuseofthisgameasanadjuncttotherapycanallow

patientsanopportunitytoexploretheirmentaldungeonsandslaytheirpsychicdragons

(Psychotherapeutic624).

OneofthekeytenantsoftheTherapeuticRecreationprofessionisfindingthebalance

betweentoomuchchallengeandboredom,toachieve,maintain,andmaximizethestateof

awarenessknownasflow(AustinandCrawford99100).Manyagamercanattesttobeingtaunted

bynongamingpeers,orscoldedbyparents,forthosetimeswhenagreatgamesessionhadthemso

caughtup,thatonemomentitwas6:00pm,andthenexttimetheylookedattheclockitwas2:00am.

ThiswashumorouslywellillustratedinthedocucomedyRPGvideomovieTheGamersII:Dorkness

Rising(Gentlemen2008).

Thoughthislossoftimeisgenerallyapositivething,aswithanyotheractivity,itispossiblefor

anyoneinanyenjoyableactivitytobecomeobsessiveandletthingsgetoutofbalance.Itisimportant

nottoletresponsibilitiessuchaswork,school,orrelationshipsbegintoexperienceanegativeimpact

fromgettingcarriedawayforaprolongedperiod.Fortunately,sincecommunicationistheprimary

implementofroleplayinggaming,havinghealthycommunicationisusuallyveryproductiveinhelping

keepreallifeandgamingbalanced.Forparentswithgamers,itcanhelpreducetheirconcern

considerablyiftheymaketheefforttounderstand,communicate,andlearnabouttheirchild's

Page 6 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

recreationalactivities.

Therehasgenerallybeentheassumption,evenamonggamers,thatsinceRPGingisescape

oriented,thelastpersonyouwanttoparticipateregularlywouldbesomeonesufferingfromvarious

dissociativedisorderssuchasschizophrenia.Thoughthejuryisstilloutonthis,therehavebeen

severalstudiesdonewiththispopulation,andsurprisinglyonlyonestudy,involvinglongterminpatient

adolescentsandtakinganunstructuredapproach,hadtobeterminatedbecauseitwasreinforcing

negativepathologies(Ascherman335).However,theotherrelatedstudiesactuallycontradictedthe

popularmediaandpublicassumptions(DeRenardandKline),showingthat,whenstructuredand

properlymanaged,theparticipantsbenefitedsignificantlybyactuallyimprovingtheirabilityto

differentiatebetweenrealityanddissociativeevents,aswellasdeveloptheirabilitytorelatetoothers

andselfmoreeffectively(Hughes;Blackmon).

Thereiscurrentlyestimatedtohavebeenatleast20millionplayersoftheroleplayinggame

DungeonsandDragonssince1974,thegamethatstartedtheentiregenre.Thecreatorsthoughtit

mightsell50,000copies.TherehavebeenmanymillionsmoreplayingotherRPGsbesidesD&Dover

thedecades.Asthegenerationsthatgrewupwiththisactivitybecomedoctorsandscientists,itisnot

surprisingthatthereisanincreasingmomentumforongoingresearchonthethebenefitsofrole

playinggamesforenhancingeducationandasapotentialtherapytool.Inthethirtyfiveyearssince

theinceptionofroleplayinggames,thestudieshavejustreachedthetipoftheiceberg,thepotential

benefitsindicatedsofar,seemtohintatsomethingthatcouldbeverybeneficialtomanypopulations

inthenextthirtyyearsofresearch.

Page 7 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

WorksCited

Ascherman,Li.TheImpactofUnstructuredGamesofFantasyandroleplaying

onanInpatientUnitforAdolescents.InternationalJournalof

Psychotherapy,43.3(1993):335344.

Austin,DavidandCrawford,Michael.TherapeuticRecreation:An

Introduction.NeedhamHeights:Allyn&Bacon,2001.

BayHinitz,AprilK.,Peterson,RobertF.,andQuilitch,H.Robert.

Cooperativegames:awaytomodifyaggressiveandcooperative

behaviorsinyoungchildren.JournalofAppliedBehaviorAnalysis

27.3(1994):433446.

Bell,Robert.PracticalApplicationsofPsychodrama:SystematicRole

PlayingTeachesSocialSkills.Hospital&CommunityPsychiatry21.6

(1970):189191.

Blackmon,WayneD.DungeonsandDragons:theuseofafantasygameinthe

psychotherapeutictreatmentofayoungadult.Journalof

Psychotherapy48.4(1994):624632.28Nov.2008

<http://www.rpgstudies.net/blackmon/dungeons_and_dragons/>.

Page 8 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

Cruz,Laura.TheGreatWarintheClassroom.AcademicExchangeQuarterly

8.1(2004)<http://www.rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/mo2491sep.htm>.

DeRenard,LisaandKline,Linda.AlienationandtheGameDungeons&

Dragons.PsychologicalReports.66(1990):12191222.

GamersII:DorknessRising.WriteranddirectorMattVancil.DVD.Dead

GentlemenandEpicLevelEntertainment,2008.

Haddad,Sam.TheResultsofPlayingTheGameofSocialStudiesKnowledge

inanEighthGradeClassroom.Diss.WayneStateUniversityof

Michigan,2003.

Lafferty,Mur.D&DTherapy.TheEscapist29Mar.2006.4Dec.2008

<http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_60/353D

DTherapy>

McClain,Rachel.ImagineThat!DevelopingFantasyRolePlayinthe

LanguageArtsClassroom.TheNewYorkTimesLearningNetwork.8

Dec.2000

<http://www.wbrschools.net/curriculum/reading7/imaginethat.pdf>.

Moursund,D.G.IntroductiontoUsingGamesinEducation:AGuidefor

Page 9 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

TeachersandParents.2007.UsingGamesinEducation.30Jan.2007.

DavidMoursand.1Dec.2008<http://uoregon.edu/~moursund/Books/Games/

Games.pdf>.

Papert,Seymour.DoesEasyDoIt?Children,Games,andLearning.Game

DeveloperMagazine.June1998.

<http://www.papert.org/articles/Doeseasydoit.html>

Perls,Frederick,Hefferline,Ralph,andGoodman,Paul.GestaltTherapy.

NewYork:BantamBook,1977.

Phillips,BrianDavid.RoleplayingGamesintheEnglishasaForeign

LanguageClassroom.ProceedingsoftheTenthNationalConferenceon

EnglishTeachingandLearning,May15,1994.Taipei,China:Crane

PublishingLtd.,1994<http://www.rpg.net/larp/papers/eflrpg.html>.

Tietel,Jay.WannaPlay?PsychologyTodayAug.1998.28Nov.2008

<http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=19980701

000027&page=1>

Walton,William.RolePlayingGames:TheStigmasandBenefits.The

EscapistDec.1995.27Nov.2008

<http://www.theescapist.com/rpgpaper.htm>.

Page 10 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

Yee,Nicholas.LookingThroughtheGlass:AnExplorationoftheInterplay

BetweenPlayerandCharacterSelvesinRolePlayingGames.

UnpublishedPsychologicalStudyHaverfordCollege,1999.

<http://nickyee.com/rpg/paper.doc>

AnnotatedBibliography

[1]BayHinitz,AprilK.,Peterson,RobertF.,andQuilitch,H.Robert.

Cooperativegames:awaytomodifyaggressiveandcooperative

behaviorsinyoungchildren.JournalofAppliedBehaviorAnalysis

27.3(1994):433446.

Abstract:70children,ages4to5yearsold,wereinvolvedina

behavioralcomparisonofcompetitiveandcooperativegames.Thestudy

foundadirectcorrelationbetweenincreasesinaggressivebehavior

duringfreetimeplayaftercompetitivegames,andadirectly

correlativedecreaseinaggressionaftercooperativeplay.Suggests

thatincreaseduseofcooperativegamescouldsignificantlyincrease

selfesteemandpeersocialization.

[2]Blackmon,WayneD.DungeonsandDragons:TheUseofaFantasyGamein

Page 11 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

thePsychotherapeuticTreatmentofaYoungAdult.Journalof

Psychotherapy48.4(1994):624632.28Nov.2008

<http://www.rpgstudies.net/blackmon/dungeons_and_dragons/>.

Abstract:Thisisacasehistoryofadepressive,suicide,schizoid

personality19yearoldmalethatwasnotrespondingtotraditional

therapies.UsingtheroleplayinggameDungeonsandDragonsasa

bridgetohelphimdevelopacommunicationandrapportwiththe

doctor,hebegantoincreaseinhisopenness,andabilitytoanalyze

therelationshipsingames,toincreasehisabilitytobecomeawareof

relationshipsinrealandimprovehissocialization,empathy,and

communicationskills.Hewasabletouseitasanoutletforangerhe

hadtowardshisfather,andthendiscussthoseactionsthatwerein

gameandbegindevelopingskillsofawarenessandintrospectionthat

hewasabletogeneralizeinhiseverydaylifeinaveryproductive

fashion.Theonlycaveatistokeepthehobbyfrombecomingtooall

consumingaswithanyotheractivityifitbecomesoutofbalanceand

obsessive.

[3] Cruz,Laura.TheGreatWarintheClassroom.AcademicExchange

Quarterly 8.1(2004):

<http://www.rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/mo2491sep.htm>.

Abstract:Ahistoryprofessorwishedtoenhancetheappreciationand

experienceoflearninghistory,specificallytheissuesleadingupto

Page 12 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

WorldWarI,forherstudentsthroughtheuseofaroleplayinggame

scenario.Sheusedacombinationofmostlyinclaseinteractionwith

someonlineenhancement.Shehadsomeissueswithsomestudentsnot

carryingtheirfairshare,butshedevelopedcreativemeansof

trackingandencouragingthem.Thereissomedebateaboutwhether

allowingalternateoutcomesreallycorrectlyteacheshistory,butthe

professorfoundthatthisapproachengagedthestudentsintoreally

delvingintotherealfactsandthenhaveamuchdeeperunderstanding

andappreciationoftheirstudy.

[4]Haddad,Sam.TheResultsofPlayingTheGameofSocialStudies

Knowledge inanEighthGradeClassroom.Diss.WayneStateUniversity

ofMichigan,2003.

Abstract:Amiddleschoolinstructorusedaroleplayinggameto

enhancetheparticipation,involvement,interest,andretentionofhis

studentsintwodifferentclasseswhenteachingsocialstudiescourse

material.Thestudentswouldparticipateinthegamescenariosfor35

minutesofeachclass,andthenspendthelast10minutesinquestion

andanswersessionsandopendiscussion.Thestudyranforonly10

weeks,butnotesaslightincreaseinknowledgeretentionanddecrease

inabsencesduringthestudycomparedtothebaseline.Thestudywould

likelyhaveshownevenmoreimprovementoveralongerperiod.Allowing

thestudentstochosetheirownteamsratherthanrandomassignmentI

believewasnotasbeneficialasrandomassignment.Inmyviewthis

wasamorecompetitiveimplementationthanothertypicalroleplaying

Page 13 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

gamesettings.Asthestudynotestosomeextent,alonger,andmore

cooperative,approachmighthavehelpedincreasetheoverallclass

unityandresultssignificantly.

[5]Hughes,John.TherapyisFantasy:Roleplaying,Healing,andthe

ConstructionofSymbolicOrder.UnpublishedEssayAustralianNational

University,1988

<http://www.rpgstudies.net/hughes/therapy_is_fantasy.html>.

Abstract:Thewriterinterviewedseveralparticipants,andfocused

primarilyonasinglefemaleparticipantwhohadahistoryofsevere

depression.Itwasnotedthatherdepressiveandpsychosomatoform

symptomsweresuspendedduringtimeswhensheroleplayed.Asshe

continuedtoplay,herfellowparticipantsandtheauthorencouraged

hertoanalyzethedistinctionsofher(male)character,andnotethe

traitsandcontrastsbetweenthepretendcharacterandherowntraits.

Asshebecameforcognizant,shewasabletouseroleplayinggaming

tohelpresolveanumberofissuesandimproveherqualityoflife

markedly.

[6]Lafferty,Mur.D&DTherapy.TheEscapist29Mar.2006.4Dec.2008

<http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_60/353D

DTherapy>

Abstract:Coversroleplay,gamesingeneral,roleplayinggames,

Page 14 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

puzzles,andcomputergames,intheirabilitiestosoothe,heal,

develophardskillssuchasmath,speechtherapy,problemsolving,and

reading,alsosoftskillssuchassocialization,intuition,and

empathy.Providesexampleofseverelybraindamagedindividualhaving

anexceptionalrecoveryverymuchattributedtoparticipationinold

fashionedroleplayinggames.

[7]McClain,Rachel.ImagineThat!DevelopingFantasyRolePlayinthe

LanguageArtsClassroom.TheNewYorkTimesLearningNetwork.8

Dec.2000.

<http://www.wbrschools.net/curriculum/reading7/imaginethat.pdf>.

Abstract:UsingDungeons&Dragonsroleplayinggameasatalking

pointandillustrationtool,thislessonplanoutlines

approachingroleplayinggamingfromvariousperspectives

includingparticipationinroleplaying,selfexpressionthrough

relatedjournalwritingthroughtheD&Dcharacter

personification,andcriticalthinkingwhenanalyzinganarticle

onthegame.

[8]Moursund,D.G.IntroductiontoUsingGamesinEducation:AGuidefor

TeachersandParents.2007.UsingGamesinEducation.30Jan.2007.

DavidMoursand.1Dec.2008<http://uoregon.edu/~moursund/Books/Games/

Games.pdf>.

Abstract:Thislengthy155pagedocumentisonlyaboutregulargames

Page 15 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

(thoughbrieflymentionsMMORPGRunescape),notRPG's.Butexcellent

forthebridgingofgamingasalearningtoolinbothformaland

informalsettings..Also, nottheoverlappingspheresdiagrambetween

educationandgames,This wouldbegoodtodothesamewithRPGand

Therapytooinmyownpaper.

[9]Papert,Seymour.DoesEasyDoIt?Children,Games,andLearning.Game

DeveloperMagazine.June1998.

<http://www.papert.org/articles/Doeseasydoit.html>

Abstract:Thispapercoverstheconvergenceofedutainmentand

advisesgamedesignerstonotbedishonestaboutlearningwithout

knowingitormakingittooeasy.Hemakesagreatstatementabout

mostkidsdon'tcomplainaboutschoolbeingtoohard,buttooboring.

Thisfocusesmostlyoncomputerbasedgames.

[10]Phillips,BrianDavid.RoleplayingGamesintheEnglishasaForeign

LanguageClassroom.Proceeding.TenthNationalConferenceonEnglish

TeachingandLearningintheRepublicofChina,Taipei:Crane

Publishing,Ltd.15May1994.

<http://www.rpg.net/larp/papers/eflrpg.html>

TheprofessorofanEnglishasaSecondLanguageusesroleplaying

gamesofvariousgenres,includingD&D,tohelpaccelerateandengage

Page 16 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

hisstudents'learningandfacilityincommunicationandsocialization.

[11]Tietel,Jay.WannaPlay?PsychologyTodayAug.1998.28Nov.2008

<http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php
? term=19980701

000027&page=1>

Abstract:Theauthorcoversadiverserangeofgames,including

variousmanifestationsofroleplayinggames,withhistorical,

psychological,andsocialimplicationsinmanyscenarios,usedfor

morethanjustrecreation.Theauthorillustratesthemanyfacetsand

benefitsroleplayingprovidesfromrecreation,educationand

socialnormalization,totherapeuticbenefits.

[12]Walton,William.RolePlayingGames:TheStigmasandBenefits.The

EscapistDec.1995.27Nov.2008

<http://www.theescapist.com/rpgpaper.htm>.

Abstract:Thispapergivesafairlycomprehensivecoverageofthe

evolutionandsocietalreactionstoroleplayinggameslikeDungeons&

Dragons.Itprovidesabreakdownofthesocialdynamicsthatdeveloped

inthe1980sandtheremainingstigmathathascontinuedtoimpact

thosewhoparticipateinRPGs.Italsocoverssomeoftheaspectsof

RPGsandtheirbeneficialuseineducationalfacilities.

[13]Yee,Nicholas.LookingThroughtheGlass:AnExplorationofthe

InterplayBetweenPlayerandCharacterSelvesinRolePlayingGames

Page 17 of 18
 Role-playing Games Used as Educational and Therapeutic Tools for Youth and Adults

UnpublishedPsychological StudyHaverfordCollege,1999.

<http://nickyee.com/rpg/paper.doc>

Abstract:GreatquoteonRPGsbeingmorethanjustagame,theyarean

experience.Commentsonaconsiderablenumberofstudiesandtheir

implicationsonroleplayinggamerspersonalities.Analyses

questionnairedataresultsthatonceagainshowpositivetraitsin

gamersinthefaceofthepublicmisconceptions,butalsocontinuesto

leavealotofquestionsopenbetweencorrelativeversuscausal

benefitsofroleplayingorroleplayinggamers.

Page 18 of 18