Blog 4

Summary of chapter 1 of Shared fantasy: Role-playing games as social worlds

In his book, Gary Alan Fine refers to the table-top role play game, dungeons and dragons, and discusses why and how people “game”, playing through cooperation and constructing a “shared fantasy” which can be considered an imagined community, focusing on the process of social gaming as a collective achievement.

Another interesting fact about the game dungeons and dragons is the fact that the regulations and consequences of any action in the game is not fix or inevitable as is most video game

Fine proposes that fantasy role play games mirror war games, educational simulations and folie a deux (shared psychosis). War games; because some players become so overwhelmed and into the game that they may put aside their natural identity and temporarily become a character of the game they play. Simulation games are made to educate the gamers to adequately manage or approach difficult life situations. And folie a deux which the players share a collective imagined fantasy community in the form of a delusional system with a somewhat fixed set of ideology that outsiders would find difficult to accept.

My arguments and expectations as of the current moment is that the players of the game dungeons and dragons see the game as a sort of outlet for their unfulfilled desires that they would normally not be allowed to achieve in real life due to social regulations, such situations do not normally arise in our modern society or they do not have the courage to physically do, actions such as underage drinking, stealing or fighting villains or monsters. And being able to achieve such desires enhances their sense of comradery as party members, and encouraging them to further test the limits of what their characters are able to do in a social world without the limits set by reality.

Progress:

Observation have been conducted weekly some Friday and every Saturday since 29^th of January 2015 for better understanding of the game and to take note of any subconscious actions the players may display during the game.

Interviews or focus groups is scheduled to be conducted on the 2^nd of April depending on the availability or the interviewees. I am currently experiencing difficulties finding time for interview as most of the players have different schedules and may opt of online interviews through skype instead.

Reference

Fine, G. A. (1983). Shared fantasy: Role-playing games as social worlds. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Student name: Harina Rachel Anne Aristan