The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games

Author: Michael J. Tresca
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786460091
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 239

Book Description
Tracing the evolution of fantasy gaming from its origins in tabletop war and collectible card games to contemporary web-based live action and massive multi-player games, this book examines the archetypes and concepts within the fantasy gaming genre alongside the roles and functions of the game players themselves. Other topics include: how The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings helped shape fantasy gaming through Tolkien's obsessive attention to detail and virtual world building; the community-based fellowship embraced by players of both play-by-post and persistent browser-based games, despite the fact that these games are fundamentally solo experiences; the origins of gamebooks and interactive fiction; and the evolution of online gaming in terms of technological capabilities, media richness, narrative structure, coding authority, and participant roles.

Dangerous Games

Author: Joseph Laycock
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520284917
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 364

Book Description
The 1980s saw the peak of a moral panic over fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons. A coalition of moral entrepreneurs that included representatives from the Christian Right, the field of psychology, and law enforcement claimed that these games were not only psychologically dangerous but an occult religion masquerading as a game. Dangerous Games explores both the history and the sociological significance of this panic. Fantasy role-playing games do share several functions in common with religion. However, religionÑas a socially constructed world of shared meaningÑcan also be compared to a fantasy role-playing game. In fact, the claims of the moral entrepreneurs, in which they presented themselves as heroes battling a dark conspiracy, often resembled the very games of imagination they condemned as evil. By attacking the imagination, they preserved the taken-for-granted status of their own socially constructed reality. Interpreted in this way, the panic over fantasy-role playing games yields new insights about how humans play and together construct and maintain meaningful worlds. LaycockÕs clear and accessible writing ensures that Dangerous Games will be required reading for those with an interest in religion, popular culture, and social behavior, both in the classroom and beyond.

Dungeons and Desktops

Author: Matt Barton
Publisher: A K PETERS
ISBN: 9781138574670
Category : Computer games
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
An introduction to computer role-playing games -- Origins -- The dark age -- The bronze age -- The silver age -- The birth of the golden age -- SSI's golden age -- Origin's golden age -- The golden age of Sir-Tech, New World Computing, and Sierra -- Early Japanese role-playing games -- Dungeon master and the rise of real-time 3D -- Other games of the golden age -- The epic fails -- The platinum age -- Diablo and the rise of action RPGs -- Fallout and Baldur's gate -- Other treasures of the platinum age -- The birth of the modern age -- Modern JRPGs -- The rise of the MMORPG -- The late modern age -- The renaissance, Kickstarted -- The road ever ventures forth -- Surprise encounter -- Appendix I : the CRPG bestiary of the extraordinary and the obscure.

The Elusive Shift

Author: Jon Peterson
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262360942
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 332

Book Description
How the early Dungeons & Dragons community grappled with the nature of role-playing games, theorizing a new game genre. When Dungeon & Dragons made its debut in the mid-1970s, followed shortly thereafter by other, similar tabletop games, it sparked a renaissance in game design and critical thinking about games. D&D is now popularly considered to be the first role-playing game. But in the original rules, the term "role-playing" is nowhere to be found; D&D was marketed as a war game. In The Elusive Shift, Jon Peterson describes how players and scholars in the D&D community began to apply the term to D&D and similar games--and by doing so, established a new genre of games.

A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games

Author: Bitmap Books
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781838019143
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description

Playing at the World

Author: Jon Peterson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780615642048
Category : Computer games
Languages : en
Pages : 698

Book Description
Explore the conceptual origins of wargames and role-playing games in this unprecedented history of simulating the real and the impossible. From a vast survey of primary sources ranging from eighteenth-century strategists to modern hobbyists, Playing at the World distills the story of how gamers first decided fictional battles with boards and dice, and how they moved from simulating wars to simulating people. The invention of role-playing games serves as a touchstone for exploring the ways that the literary concept of character, the lure of fantastic adventure and the principles of gaming combined into the signature cultural innovation of the late twentieth century.

Fight, Magic, Items

Author: Aidan Moher
Publisher: Running Press Adult
ISBN: 9780762479634
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Book Description
Take a journey through the history of Japanese role-playing games--from the creators who built it, the games that defined it, and the stories that transformed pop culture and continue to capture the imaginations of millions of fans to this day. The Japanese roleplaying game (JRPG) genre is one that is known for bold, unforgettable characters; rich stories, and some of the most iconic and beloved games in the industry. Inspired by early western RPGs and introducing technology and artistic styles that pushed the boundaries of what video games could be, this genre is responsible for creating some of the most complex, bold, and beloved games in history--and it has the fanbase to prove it. In Fight, Magic, Items, Aidan Moher guides readers through the fascinating history of JRPGs, exploring the technical challenges, distinct narrative and artistic visions, and creative rivalries that fueled the creation of countless iconic games and their quest to become the best, not only in Japan, but in North America, too. Moher starts with the origin stories of two classic Nintendo titles, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, and immerses readers in the world of JRPGs, following the interconnected history from through the lens of their creators and their stories full of hope, risk, and pixels, from the tiny teams and almost impossible schedules that built the foundations of the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises; Reiko Kodama pushing the narrative and genre boundaries with Phantasy Star; the unexpected team up between Horii and Sakaguchi to create Chrono Trigger; or the unique mashup of classic Disney with Final Fantasy coolness in Kingdom Hearts. Filled with firsthand interviews and behind-the-scenes looks into the development, reception, and influence of JRPGs, Fight, Magic, Items captures the evolution of the genre and why it continues to grab us, decades after those first iconic pixelated games released.

Heroic Worlds

Author: Lawrence Schick
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780879756536
Category : Fantasy games
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
This history of role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons explains their evolution and gives complete definitions and descriptions for related game products. Arriving on the scene in 1973, such games caught on rapidly and spawned a thriving industry. These games are regularly played improvisations, with rules that allow for consistent resolution of action, in which heroic characters created by the players battle enemies or solve mysteries. Featuring essays by eighteen top industry designers, Heroic Worlds explains the evolution of role-playing games and their influence on other forms of entertainment. The art and jargon of game design, play, and collection are defined in detail.

Roleplaying Games in the Digital Age

Author: Stephanie Hedge
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476676860
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 242

Book Description
The Digital Age has created massive technological and disciplinary shifts in tabletop role-playing, increasing the appreciation of games like Dungeons & Dragons. Millions tune in to watch and listen to RPG players on podcasts and streaming platforms, while virtual tabletops connect online players. Such shifts elicit new scholarly perspectives. This collection includes essays on the transmedia ecology that has connected analog with digital and audio spaces. Essays explore the boundaries of virtual tabletops and how users engage with a variety of technology to further role-playing. Authors map the growing diversity of the TRPG fandom and detail how players interact with RPG-related podcasts. Interviewed are content creators like Griffin McElroy of The Adventure Zone podcast, Roll20 co-creator Nolan T. Jones, board game designers Nikki Valens and Isaac Childres and fan artists Tracey Alvarez and Alex Schiltz. These essays and interviews expand the academic perspective to reflect the future of role-playing.

The Functions of Role-Playing Games

Author: Sarah Lynne Bowman
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786455551
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 217

Book Description
This study 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.