Friday, May 19, 2017

Le jeu de rôle, une autre forme de narration sérielle ? [peer-reviewed article]

Périer, I. (2017). Le jeu de rôle, une autre forme de narration sérielle ? Itinéraires. Littérature, textes, cultures, (2016–2). https://doi.org/10.4000/itineraires.3453

Pen and Paper Roleplaying Game, Another Serial Narration?

Tabletop RPGs are a kind of serial narration based on the principle of expansion. Its fertility and consistency depend on internal mechanisms. There is a transmedia expansion (movies, novels,...) and a publishing expansion (core rulebooks, screen, supplements, modules,...). These expansions are limited by the finances of the players.
The last type of expansion is ludic: a lot of game groups are playing long-lasting and engaging campaigns. Inside these small interpretative communities, the social contrat between the players drives the creativity and regulates the expansion by enforcing its consistency.

Friday, May 5, 2017

Educational Games for Soft-Skills Training in Digital Environments [book]

Dell’Aquila, Elena, ‎davide Marocco, Michela Ponticorvo, Andrea Di Ferdinando, Massimiliano Schembri, and Orazio Miglino. Educational Games for Soft-Skills Training in Digital Environments. Advances in Game-Based Learning. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2017.
This essay analyzes the outcomes of some digital RPG for training soft-skills, mostly based on interactions with PCs and programmed NPCs. Chapter 2 describes very well all the RPG techniques traditionally used in real environment (from Moreno to now). Chapter 3 lists some general guidelines for designing such games. Chapter 4 observed that the digital RPG has the same effectiveness as a face-to-face experience. The participants appreciated the anonymity but they mentioned a lack of emotional involvement.

The gamemaster is extremely important, especially for his immediate feedbacks and for his expertise during complete debriefings. Rule-based digital games ease the work of the gamemaster, they are suited for more cognitive learning (acquiring knowledge, problem-solving, decision-making,...). Drama-based games, played in a traditional way, are better for emotional awareness, self-assessment and self-confidence.