Resources
Definitions, Acronyms, and Other Information
1. Role-Playing Game (RPG)- Any game in which one or more players assume the role of a character (or characters) and interact as their character(s) through an imaginary world, making decisions which influence and contribute to an overall story.
2. Tabletop Role-Playing Game (TRPG)- Any RPG played at a table. Also called pen and paper RPGs, Dungeons & Dragons, the World of Darkness games, ShadowRun, and more fall into this category.
3. Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG)-An RPG which takes place online, where players use servers to interact with one another's characters in the fictional world. World of Warcraft is an MMORPG, for example.
4. Live Action Role-Playing Game (LARP or LARPG)- RPGs in which players dress as their characters and assume the role of their characters more literally. Most LARPs have very specific rules about touching, and in Mind's Eye Theatre LARPs, rock-paper-scissors is used to resolve conflicts instead of dice. Some LARPs involve foam weapons to protect participants from them while enjoying more realistic combat, and many others have strict no-weapons policies.
5. Video Role Playing Game (VRPG)- Of RPGs, this category is the most common. Video
games which are RPGs themselves, or which feature strong RPG elements. The following subcategories are the two most common types of VRPGs.
1. Japanese RPGs (JRPGs)- Exemplified by the incredibly popular Final Fantasy series, these are RPGs which are turn- based between multiple characters in a party, all of whom are controlled by the single player. Both characters within the party and enemies take turns within the combats, allowing for a turn-based strategy, much like in chess.
2. Real-Time RPGs – RPGs in which the strategy occurs in real-time. A single character is controlled at a time, and takes actions at the same time as other characters. This is the closest simulation of real combat in many cases. Games such as Bioware’s Mass Effect and Dragon Age series, Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series, and more qualify as real-time RPGs.
Gaming Genres:
Fantasy- Most fantasy genre games are heavily inspired by Tolkien's works, utilizing several fantasy races and putting players in a scenario in which their characters may save the world from the forces of evil. Medieval in theme, usually, these games have much the same appeal as Renaissance Faires and the epic poems of old.
Science Fiction- Games of this genre are usually far more technology-heavy, meaning that characters have access to more technology, not that players require more in order to play. These games may include Star Trek or Star Wars RPGs, for instance.
Many more genres exist, but these two are the most popular.
References Cited
Cardwell, P. (1994). The Attacks on Role-Playing Games. Skeptical Inquirer, 18(2), 157-165.
Carter, R. and D. Lester. (1998). Personalities of Players of Dungeons and Dragons. Psychol Rep, 82(1), 182.
Clark Prosecutor. (1999). Retrieved November 26, 2012 from http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/sellers512.htm.
The Escapist. (ND). As BADD As It Gets: An Anti-Dungeons & Dragons Propaganda Booklet. Retrieved November 25, 2012 from http://www.theescapist.com/BADDbook.htm.
Gearbox Software. (2009). Borderlands Information. Retrieved November 26, 2012 from http://www.borderlandsthegame.com/home.html.
Kelly 2, R.V. (2004). Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc.
Martin, D., and G.A. Fine. (1991). Satanic Cults, Satanic Play: Is “Dungeons & Dragons” a Breeding Ground for the Devil? In J.T. Richardson, J. Best, and D.G. Bromley (Eds.), The Satanism Scare (107-123). New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
Metropolitan Museum of Art. (2012). Dice. Retrieved November 25, 2012 from http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search- the-collections/100008377?img=0.
New York Times. (1986). 16-Year Old Convicted in Fantasy-Game Slaying of Boy, 11. Retrieved November 20, 2012 from http://rpggeek.com/image/630438/samort7?size=large.
Robbins, W. (1980). Brilliant Computer Student Dies From Gun Wound. New York Times. Retrieved from http://rpggeek.com/image/668926/samort7?size=large.
Savini, A., M.A. Pascal, and J. Sprattley. Dungeons & Dragons: A Documentary. Retrieved October 8, 2012 from http://dndadoc.com.
Simón, A. (1987). Emotional Stability Pertaining to the Game of Dungeons & Dragons. Psychology in the Schools, 24: 329-332.
Spiro, J. (Director & Producer). (2004). The Dungeons & Dragons Experience [Film]. Retrieved on October 1, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzcgm5_Pb8Y.
Stackpole, Michael A. (1989). Game Hysteria and the Truth. Retrieved on November 25, 2012 from http://www.skeptictank.org/files//religion/d-and-d.htm.
Suggested Reading
The Escapist: The Reality of Fantasy Games - A website dedicated to game advocacy, including FAQs, Projects, Research, and even more resources for concerned parents. Some of the more specific features will have links below.
As B.A.D.D As It Gets -The Escapist examines a pamphlet from B.A.D.D., published in the 1980s and distributed as a major source for anti-RPG rhetoric. The commentary is located below the scanned pages, so readers can choose whether or not to read The Escapist's discussion of the information presented.
RPGStudies.Net - A website dedicated to the studies of various aspects of role-playing games, with studies regarding the attacks on RPGs selected for the link. Not all of the articles are available to read online, but all of them provide proper citation of sources so that readers may contact the authors, publishers, or search for them elsewhere.
Stackpole, Michael A. (1990). The Pulling Report. - Stackpole examines Patricia Pulling and her case for BADD as one of the leading experts on D&D and it's evils.
Shared Fantasy: Role Playing Games as Social Worlds by Gary Allan Fine. This book explores fantasy role-playing games and their participants in depth, and argues that fantasy gaming is its own subculture within our society. Fine also explains more about role-playing games than almost any other source, and delves deep into the culture in order to help readers understand what really happens during games.
What This Page Contains:
This page contains a section on Definitions, Acronyms, and Other Information, a list of References Cited, and a list of Suggested Reading.