I believe we need to spend time as often as possible
discussing our individual human experience and we need to find a good way to do
that. I do have a bias. I am in the college of humanities. But, I don’t think
my bias is a bad thing. Or unfounded. I hope that more than a few centuries of soirées
and symposiums can support that line of thought.
But, as far as discussing our individual human experience
goes, symposiums and soirées can be a little difficult to pull off.
Historically, these were gatherings of intellectuals (or attempted
intellectuals) having direct and open conversations about theology, philosophy,
art, and politics. In my experience (and yes, I’ve tried), It just isn’t easy
to pull a group like that together.
Unless of course, you’re playing some Dungeons and Dragons. Then it comes easy.
Role-playing games spontaneously, but subtly, create
discussions that mirror the discourse of a
Want to understand your friends on a deeper level? See what
they do when you toss them into strange or conflicting situations. Do they kill
the deadly baby dragon before it can grow up to be a threat? Or do they try and
raise it to be a force for good?
Ever heard of Gary Gygax? He invented DnD. He is also known for creating and upholding a brutal and even
punitive style of game management that was designed to hurt his players as much
as possible. If something is Gygaxian, it is stereotypically, unrealistically
harsh. But, not everyone holds that point of view. DnD was invented in the 1970’s and many of its first players had
seen action in Vietnam or even WWII. After violent experiences like those, are
Gygaxian nighttime ambushes or surprise physical hazards a realistic or gratuitous
look at life’s hardship? And, because we’re in college, why?
In our day and age of entertainment, I would submit
role-playing games as a new kind of symposium. A way for us to come to an
understanding of each other on a deeper level.
Image credit to Wizards of the Coast media resources.
I'm currently playing an offshoot of DnD and it definitely feels like a new form of communication and discussion to me, I think largely because it is so cerebral. Instead of relying on stimulation of the senses, it relies on the mind and imagination, and is a form of entertainment that one does not really need to invest money to enjoy, which could prove dangerous to the media giants of the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this connection in my own friend group. We used to have weekly game nights that were actually great social science experiments; they gave us a chance to discuss our views with the buffer of a game to lessen the intensity. Games have probably been around almost as long as humans have, but these new RPG and RPG adjacent games allow a different, deeper form of communication.
ReplyDeleteI have always been interested to know exactly what effect games in general have on society. Role playing games are a unique way to connect with other people and expand upon our creativity. As we work with others, we pay out situations that we could potentially be faced with in the future (but in different contexts).
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about your comments on the history of DnD and it's connections to war veterans. As well as being a "realistic or gratuitous look at life’s hardship," I wonder if fictional experiences like this allow us to express our experiences in imaginative ways in order to release. I think a lot of art like fictional novels or music can also fulfill this purpose, and I'm curious to see how DnD compares.
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