Alienation and the Game Dungeons and Dragons

DERENARD, LISA A.; Kline, Linda Mannik

doi:10.2466/pr0.1990.66.3c.1219

Cited by 14 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Overall, the stereotypes that gamers are antisocial (DeRenard & Kline, 1990) as claimed by the media from the 1980s and 1990s to the present day (Curran, 2011) were not supported. Instead, the present results fit into the RPG literature that portrays RPG gamers as empathetic and socially skilled (Curran, 2011; Meriläinen, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another limitation is that we only have data from men. DeRenard and Kline (1990) reported a gender ratio of 6:1 for male to female individuals engaging in RPGs. MWGs that are about conflicts and the command of armies seem to be much more attractive for men than for women, and this is why it is difficult and costly to collect data from a large sample of female gamers, but it would certainly be interesting to find out whether female gamers differ from their male counterparts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since then, RPGs have time and again been blamed for suicidal, homicidal, and antisocial behavior. Moreover, it has been claimed that RPGs separate players from their families and society and that RPGs support engagement in criminal and occult behavior (DeRenard & Kline, 1990).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, no differences in personality were found between players who play often and those who play less frequently (Carroll & Carolin, 1989). Also, there has been no evidence of differences between gamers and non-gamers with respect to depression, suicidal ideation, psychoticism, extraversion, or neuroticism (Carter & Lester, 1998) or with respect to alienation or locus of control (DeRenard & Kline, 1990). Instead, subsequent research has supported the notion that playing RPGs is associated with creativity (Chung, 2013; Meriläinen, 2012), and qualitative research has suggested that RPGs may be suitable for fostering knowledge acquisition, strengthening team building, and supporting personal development (Daniau, 2016).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Who Commands the Little Soldiers?

Körner

Kammerhoff

Schütz

2021

Journal of Individual Differences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. The popularity of miniature wargames (MWGs) has recently been on the rise. We aimed to identify the personality characteristics of people who play MWGs. Whereas the popular media have suspected that fantasy role-playing and war-related games cause antisocial behavior, past research on tabletop role-playing has shown that gamers are creative and empathetic individuals. Previous studies have investigated pen-and-paper tabletop games, which require imagination and cooperation between players. Tabletop MWGs are somewhat different because players compete against each other, and there is a strong focus on war-related actions. Thus, people have voiced the suspicion that players of this type of game may be rather aggressive. In the present study, 250 male MWG players completed questionnaires on the Big Five, authoritarianism, risk-orientation, and motives as well as an intelligence test. The same measures were administered to non-gamers, tabletop role-playing gamers, and first-person shooter gamers. Results indicated that according to self-reports, MWG players are more open, more extraverted, and have a higher need for affiliation than non-gamers. Further, high scores on reasoning and low scores on authoritarianism were typical of MWG players, and MWG players were similar to other gamers on these characteristics. All in all, our findings show that despite their penchant for (re)-enacting war scenes, MWG players seem to be open, nonauthoritarian individuals. Future research may add to these findings by using observer reports and longitudinal research to better understand whether intelligent and nontraditional people are attracted to MWGs or whether the setting of MWGs supports the development of such traits.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Who Commands the Little Soldiers?

Körner

Kammerhoff

Schütz

2021

Journal of Individual Differences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Tabletop RPG players were found to have higher scores in empathy tests than a control group, 4 but other analyses demonstrated no relationship between personality variables, as evaluated through the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), 5 and involvement in RPGs 6 . RPG players were found to express more feelings of alienation, especially among those who spent more money on the game, than those who did not engage in RPGs 7 . In addition, playing RPGs was not correlated with higher self-reported criminality 8 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Factors Related to Pathological Game Patterns Among Role-playing Game (RPG) Players

Mercante,

Adão,

Mendez

et al. 2024

Canadian Journal of Addiction

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: Role-playing games (RPGs) are a ludic and essentially cooperative activity performed in groups and characterized by verbal dramatization of fictional characters. The aim of this study was to identify the sociodemographic profile of tabletop RPG players and to examine the relationship between pathological game patterns among tabletop RPG players and sociodemographic characteristics, game habits, and psychopathological symptoms. Previously, research investigated the occurrence of psychopathological symptoms in RPG players, but none have investigated the relationship between pathological game patterns and psychosocial characteristics in tabletop RPG players. We hypothesize that a pathological relationship with the game is related to the players’ personal and social characteristics. Methods: One hundred fifteen subjects, ages 16 to 55 years old, 92.2% male and 7.8% female, were accessed, and 70 participants completed self-report questionnaires on gaming behaviours and preferences, sociodemographic characteristics, and psychological symptoms. Results: Having no emotional support, parents who were not interested in RPG and performing the role of player in the game were related to the high-risk group (P<0.05). No independent variables were identified for the low-risk group. All subjects in the high-risk group were also positive on the anxiety scale (P<0.05). Conclusions: Personal characteristics such as having no emotional support and parents who are not interested in RPG seems to play a more important role regarding the establishment of a pathological relationship to tabletop RPG playing. Therefore, this subgroup should be carefully evaluated. Objectif: Les jeux de rôle (JDR) sont une activité ludique et essentiellement coopérative pratiquée en groupe et caractérisée par la mise en scène verbale de personnages fictifs. L’objectif de cette étude était d’identifier le profil sociodémographique des joueurs de JDR sur table et d’examiner la relation entre les habitudes de jeu pathologiques chez les joueurs de JDR sur table et les caractéristiques sociodémographiques, les habitudes de jeu et les symptômes psychopathologiques. Des recherches ont déjà été menées sur l’apparition de symptômes psychopathologiques chez les joueurs de JDR, mais aucune n’a étudié la relation entre les habitudes de jeu pathologiques et les caractéristiques psychosociales des joueurs de JDR sur table. Nous émettons l’hypothèse qu’une relation pathologique avec le jeu est liée aux caractéristiques personnelles et sociales des joueurs. Méthodes: Cent quinze sujets, âgés de 16 à 55 ans, 92,2% d’hommes et 7,8% de femmes, ont été recrutés et 70 participants ont rempli des questionnaires d’auto-évaluation sur les comportements et les préférences en matière de jeu, les caractéristiques sociodémographiques et les symptômes psychologiques. Résultats: L’absence de soutien émotionnel, le manque d’intérêt des parents pour le JDR et le fait de jouer le rôle de joueur dans le jeu étaient liés au groupe à haut risque (P<0,05). Aucune variable indépendante n’a été identifiée pour le groupe à faible risque. Tous les sujets du groupe à haut risque étaient également positifs sur l'échelle d’anxiété (P<0.05). Conclusion: Les caractéristiques personnelles telles que l’absence de soutien émotionnel et le manque d’intérêt des parents pour les JDR semblent jouer un rôle plus important dans l'établissement d’une relation pathologique avec les JDR sur table. Par conséquent, ce sous-groupe devrait être soigneusement évalué.

show abstract

Psychiatrists’ Perceptions of Role-Playing Games

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The literature has seen a surge in research on the mental health impacts of technologies such as Facebook, video games, and massively-multiplayer online role-playing games such as World of Warcraft, but little is known regarding the mental health impact of non-video role-playing games, such as Dungeons & Dragons. The present study examines how psychiatrists' perceive role-playing games and whether they play them. Psychiatrists at a tertiary care centre in Canada completed a questionnaire assessing history of playing role-playing games and whether they associate them with psychopathology. Forty-eight psychiatrists responded. Twenty-three percent have played a role-playing game over their lifetimes. Twenty-two percent believed there was an association between psychopathology and role-playing games. A majority of psychiatrists who responded do not associate role-playing games with psychopathology. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

show abstract

Alienation and the Game Dungeons and Dragons

Cited by 14 publications

References 4 publications

Who Commands the Little Soldiers?

Who Commands the Little Soldiers?

Factors Related to Pathological Game Patterns Among Role-playing Game (RPG) Players

Psychiatrists’ Perceptions of Role-Playing Games

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About