In the field of digital media, the study of interactive narratives holds the aesthetics of agency and dramatic agency as core to digital design. These principles hold that users must reliably be able to navigate the interface and the narrative elements of the artifact in order to have a lasting appeal. However, due to recent academic and critical discussions several digital artifacts are being focused on as possible new ways of engaging users. These artifacts do not adhere to the design aesthetics foundational to digital media, but represent a movement away from the principle of dramatic agency in interactive narratives. In an attempt to understand this separation and offer a solution to this developing issue, another non-digital interactive medium was studied: tabletop role-playing games. The designers of this medium were studied to understand the techniques and methods they employed to create dramatic interactive narratives for their users. These case studies suggested the designers used a third design aesthetic, design agency, to help balance the tension between agency and dramatic agency of the users of their medium. This design aesthetic could provide a balancing force to the current issues arising within interactive narrative.

This article focuses on digital role-playing games produced by BioWare in which the decisions made by players can have a profound impact on the narrative of each game. My approach relies heavily upon the dissection of examples from Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect, and Mass Effect 2 as I found that scholarship about video games focused heavily on theory rather than analysis of in-game content, at least compared to the size and popularity of the genre. I work with key concepts such as narrative, simulation, and sideshadowing in order to analyse the dialogue options and scenarios presented to the player in these games. I claim that we can compare decision-making in real life and decision-making in role-playing games in order to examine the emotions and thoughts that go into the decision-making process. I task myself with discussing the implications of choosing ones own narrative and analysing the mechanics of these games that urge players to make morality-based choices. I consider the ideas of Gary Saul Morson and Mikhail Bahktin as a way of using literary theory to deconstruct the complexities of navigating through these unique game worlds. My aim is to show that the multi-linear structures of modern, digital role-playing games represent simulators through which players can explore their own decision-making processes. BioWare constructs emotional and intellectual decision-making opportunities that entice players to consider their own morality in the face of life or death decisions. I argue that these role-playing games urge us to consider the ways we make decisions in our everyday lives and allow us to simulate how we might act given the chance to play hero or villain.

This article focuses on digital role-playing games produced by BioWare in which the decisions made by players can have a profound impact on the narrative of each game. My approach relies heavily upon the dissection of examples from Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect, and Mass Effect 2 as I found that scholarship about video games focused heavily on theory rather than analysis of in-game content, at least compared to the size and popularity of the genre. I work with key concepts such as narrative, simulation, and sideshadowing in order to analyse the dialogue options and scenarios presented to the player in these games. I claim that we can compare decision-making in real life and decision-making in role-playing games in order to examine the emotions and thoughts that go into the decision-making process. I task myself with discussing the implications of choosing ones own narrative and analysing the mechanics of these games that urge players to make morality-based choices. I consider the ideas of Gary Saul Morson and Mikhail Bahktin as a way of using literary theory to deconstruct the complexities of navigating through these unique game worlds. My aim is to show that the multi-linear structures of modern, digital role-playing games represent simulators through which players can explore their own decision-making processes. BioWare constructs emotional and intellectual decision-making opportunities that entice players to consider their own morality in the face of life or death decisions. I argue that these role-playing games urge us to consider the ways we make decisions in our everyday lives and allow us to simulate how we might act given the chance to play hero or villain.

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Tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs) present a unique opportunity to study political behavior. In educational settings, role-playing games (RPGs) of all kinds have proven to be valuable educational tools, and even when played for fun, participating in role playing games has been shown to increase one's level of confidence. Knowing this, I designed an experiment to attempt to increase internal political efficacy through the use of a politically-themed TRPG. I took inspiration from the original TRPGs of the 1970s and 1980s which were used purely for entertainment purposes to create my own game in a traditional TRPG setting with current issues woven into the story of the game (also called a campaign), and utilized quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze participants' reactions to the campaign and levels of efficacy. In doing so, I seek to determine whether players will recognize real-world issues when presented in a science fiction or fantasy-themed campaign. Furthermore, given that TRPGs have the potential to shape players' understanding of how the world works and their place in it, will players be more motivated to act on said issues presented in-game, even if they do not consciously make the connection between the real-life issues presented in the science fiction/fantasy setting and those same issues in the real world?

Submitted by Paula Quirino (paula.quirino@ufpe.br) on 2015-03-03T19:49:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Matheus Sales - Jogos Textuais Interativos na Escola.pdf: 1734339 bytes, checksum: 053eb1a5621f8d2f576166e30c176c9b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-03T19:49:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Matheus Sales - Jogos Textuais Interativos na Escola.pdf: 1734339 bytes, checksum: 053eb1a5621f8d2f576166e30c176c9b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Esta dissertação apresenta os resultados da aventura de pesquisar como Jogos Textuais Interativos, na modalidade de Role-Playing Games (RPGs – ―jogos de interpretação de papéis‖), influenciaram a aprendizagem de duas turmas do 2º ano do Ensino Médio de uma escola pública do município de Paulista, Pernambuco. Reconhecida a complexidade do fenômeno ―aprendizagem‖, recortamo-lo em conceitos mais simples: ―motivação para aprender‖ e ―capacidade de assimilação de conteúdo‖. Argumentamos que jogos podem ser usados efetivamente como ferramenta pedagógica e indicamos, como uma alternativa viável, o RPG adaptado ao contexto de sala de aula, por suas capacidade motivadora e capacidade de simulação. Na literatura o RPG é descrito como facilitador da assimilação de conteúdos e ferramenta de motivação para aprendizagem escolar – mas os resultados empíricos dessa literatura são ainda insipientes. Participaram da pesquisa 55 adolescentes, alunos da supracitada escola, além da professora de História que leciona nas três turmas selecionadas. Na fase de treinamento da professora colaboraram quatro jovens adultos de profissões diversas que já possuíam vasta experiência com jogos de RPG. Os alunos foram divididos entre um Grupo de Referência e dois Grupos de Jogo, de acordo com as diferentes turmas do 2º ano. Todos os grupos foram submetidos antes e após o período da intervenção à ―Escala de Avaliação da Motivação para Aprender de Alunos do Ensino Médio‖ (Marchiore & Alencar, 2009) e a um Teste de Conhecimentos elaborado especificamente para a pesquisa, baseado no conteúdo corrente de suas disciplinas de História. Ao final da intervenção os participantes dos Grupos de Jogo foram entrevistados coletivamente. A análise quantitativa dos dados revelou que as aulas-jogo foram tão eficazes quanto as aulas usuais, pois não foram identificadas diferenças significativas de desempenho no Teste de Conhecimentos entre os alunos participantes da intervenção e os não participantes. Porém, hipotetizamos que uma amostra maior revelaria melhor performance no Teste de Conhecimento entre os participantes da aula- jogo, uma vez que o histograma do Grupo de Referência demonstra ter havido nele muito mais notas zero do que no grupo de participantes da intervenção (09 de 20 contra 06 de 35, respectivamente). Além disso, uma amostra maior poderia revelar que os alunos de nota mais alta no Grupo de Referência seriam outliers. Ademais, não foi identificada diferença significativa entre esses dois grupos para a Escala de Motivação, nem relação significativa entre os resultados da Escala de Motivação e o Teste de Conhecimentos. Também não foi identificada diferença significativa nos três grupos em relação a sua motivação investigada do momento do pré-teste para o pós-teste. Não foram identificadas diferenças significativas entre os participantes da intervenção para a variável ―sexo‖ comparados entre si e com os alunos do Grupo de Referência. Analisados qualitativamente, os dados indicam que os alunos que participaram da aula com RPG tiveram facilitada sua inserção no campo semiótico das questões, na forma de aprendizagem horizontal (Gee, 2012). Do mesmo modo, os dados apontam para a facilitação da assimilação de conteúdos dentro do contexto de jogo quando estes são componentes de um desafio a ser superado.

This paper analyzes the appropriateness of the localization practices utilized in the Japanese video game series Final Fantasy and Pokémon. Its argument is informed by survey responses from players of both series. Immersion, the ability of the player to remain in the game-world without distraction, is believed to be an important goal for successful localization. In this paper, the appropriateness of the localization of the Final Fantasy series is judged based on player immersion and enjoyment. This study finds that immersion is not essential to player enjoyment and therefore is not essential for a successful localization. In regard to the Pokémon series, the appropriateness of the heavy alteration and censorship of elements in the American localization is analyzed via player response to the changes. This localization practice proves to be appropriate and an effective model for future localization of Japanese video games targeted toward children in America. In addition, this paper explores immersion in Pokémon strategy guides released in America and Japan. The aim of this thesis is to expand the dialogue on Japanese video game localization for America and to display successful, creative localization practices which can also be utilized in other media.

Though tabletop role-playing games, or TRPGs, have received some scholarly attention since the creation of Dungeons and Dragons in the 1970s, very few scholars have considered how TRPGs function as a vehicle for long-form narrative. As an inherently collaborative form of narrative, the TRPG demonstrates a unique relationship between author and audience, as participants take on both roles during play. Previous narratological models of author-audience interaction are insufficient to understand the way that authorship functions in the TRPG, and the rise of actual play shows, where TRPGs are broadcast for an audience of nonparticipants, adds an extra layer of complexity to these author-audience relations. This thesis identifies key narrative elements of the TRPG, including game mechanics, framing, and collaboration, and examines how popular actual play shows and their graphic adaptations engage with these elements to create their narratives. This examination indicates that TRPGs create complex author-webs where each participant is both author and audience, and this influence pushes actual play shows and further adaptations of TRPG narratives to expand the ways in which audiences can influence and interact with narratives as they are created. The TRPG genre continues to explore how these elements can be developed beyond traditional understandings of narrative, and this development provides a framework for further narratological study of interactive works, which will only continue to evolve and grow in popularity and complexity in the continuing digital era. / Master of Arts / The tabletop role-playing game, or TRPG, has been growing in popularity since the creation of Dungeons and Dragons in the 1970s, and the rise of the actual play show, where a TRPG game is broadcast to viewers via video or podcast, has spurred both casual and scholarly interest in the TRPG. Players of TRPGs create narratives through collaborative storytelling moderated by certain rules and game mechanics, so each participant in a TRPG acts as both author and audience, as they create certain elements of the narrative and also witness the narrative creations of the other players. This particular collaborative author-audience model is not seen in any other form of narrative, and existing models of author-audience interactions do not account for authorship in the TRPG. Therefore, this thesis examines how several elements of the TRPG, such as the use of game mechanics to structure the narrative, the multiple frames in which players interact with each other, and the collaboration inherent in every game, contribute to the ways that authorship and audience interact in the narrative. It also looks at how popular actual play shows and the graphic novels they've created of their narratives engage with these elements to create their own unique audience interactions. As audience participation in the development of the stories they're consuming become more prominent with the rise of video games and other interactive media, an understanding of the evolving relationship between authorship and audience developed by the TRPG becomes important for examining interactive works in general.

Jogar é uma atividade inerente à experiência humana. Em razão disso, os jogos e o jogar, enquanto fenômenos culturais, são amplamente estudados pela psicologia e pela antropologia nos seus aspectos de linguagem e estrutura. Alguns desses estudos, no que tangem à performance, abordam os jogos enquanto rituais transformadores. Uma das modalidades de jogo que vai se enquadrar nesse contexto são os jogos narrativos de interpretação (RPG), que já tem sido aplicados à práticas educacionais mas ainda carece de mais olhares da psicologia. Os objetivos desse estudo são, justamente, entender como o RPG pode ser utilizado enquanto um instrumento de psicoterapia e qual o benefício desse procedimento. Partindo desse princípio, foram escolhidos para este estudo 6 casos de atendimentos em psicoterapia realizados pelo autor que se valeram do uso de jogos de interpretação como um instrumento de avaliação e elaboração. A seleção dos casos incluiu a presença de um processo de luto, seja por uma perda concreta ou simbólica, como variável. A escolha desse recorte se deu pela inerente experiência humana da perda e da consciência de término. Já a reflexão sobre o conteúdo, e sua relação com a performance e a psicologia, é feita sob a ótica da teoria linguística bakhtinana e as contribuições da antropologia. O que se encontra ao analisar os casos apresentados é potencial dos jogos narrativos em projetar conteúdo dos pacientes nos personagens criados ou nas histórias narradas durante o jogo. Isso se deve, muito provavelmente, pelo ato de fantasiar servir como uma comunicação do inconsciente. Mais ainda, também se observa o jogar como uma caminho de escuta de si mesmo e, consequentemente, uma porta para ressignificação. Também se encontra que o processo de luto é, em verdade, parte de uma narrativa sobre os afetos, não sobre as perdas. Para tanto, é necessária a escuta dessa narrativa. A partir disso, é discutido como não só os jogos de interpretação, mas também o processo psicoterapêutico é um ritual. Paciente e psicólogo, quando dispostos e conscientes desse ritual, estão a tecer juntos uma narrativa transformadora. Assim sendo, conclui-se que os jogos de interpretação podem ser instrumentos valiosos na construção de um enfrentamento do luto. É necessário que o psicólogo se permita uma sensibilidade e uma flexibilidade em buscar a estética na história que se conta e se escuta, de forma que também o paciente se permita dar novos lugares a velhos sofrimentos. A psicoterapia está longe de ser uma técnica encerrada em si mesmo e em seu campo do saber / Playing is an activity inherent in human experience. For this reason, games and play as cultural phenomena are widely studied by psychology and anthropology in their aspects of language or structure. Some of these studies, as far as performance is concerned, approach games as transforming rituals. One of the modalities of game that fit in this context are the narrative roleplaying games, which have already been applied to educational practices but still lack more looks of psychology. Objectives of this study are precisely to understand how the RPG can be used as an instrument of psychotherapy and what the benefit of this procedure. Based on this principle, 6 cases of psychotherapy by this author care were chosen for this study, using the use of interpretation games as an evaluation and elaboration tool. The selection of cases included the presence of a grieving process, either by a concrete or symbolic loss, as variable. That choice was by the inherent human experience of loss and consciousness of termination. Reflections on content, and its relation to performance and psychology, was maded from the perspective of Bakhtin\'s linguistic theory and the contributions of anthropology. What is in analyzing the cases presented is the potential of roleplaying games in projects patient content in the characters created or stories narrated during the game. This is most probably due to the fantasy serving as a communication of the unconscious. Moreover, it also observes play as a way of listening to oneself and, consequently, a door for resignifying. It founds that the process of mourning is actually part of a narrative about affections, not about its losses. So being it is necessary to listen to this narrative. From this point it is discussed as not only the roleplaying games, but also the psychotherapeutic process is ritual. Patient and psychologist when willing and aware of this ritual are weaving together a transformative narrative. Thus, it is concluded that the role-playing games can be valuable tools in construction of a work of mourning. It is necessary for the psychologist to allow himself a sensitivity and a flexibility in seeking the aesthetics in the story that is told and is listened, so as that the patient also allows himself to give new places to old sufferings. Psychotherapy is far from being a closed technique in yourself and in your field of knowledge

Der vorliegende Beitrag hat das Ziel, an bestehende Beiträge aus der Erholungsforschung anzuknüpfen und mittels einer qualitativen Interviewstudie zu eruieren, welchen Beitrag das Genre der MMORPGs für die Erholungsforschung liefern kann.