Transformative Role-Playing Game Design

About Course

This course explores foundational concepts and practices to consider when designing for transformative impacts. In addition to lectures, discussions, and journals, you will be designing a game.

Course Content

Course Information

Unit 1 Introduction to Role-playing Games
This course explores foundational concepts and practices to consider when designing for transformative impacts. In addition to lectures, discussions, and journals, you will be designing a game.

Unit 2: Introduction to Transformative Role-playing Game Design
In this unit, we will discuss three different types of contexts: transformative leisure, therapeutic, and educational role-playing games.

Unit 3: Transformative Role-playing Game Design in Practice
In this unit, we will share our model of transformative role-playing games

Unit 4: Character, Culture and Mechanics Design
In this unit, we will provide some techniques and additional considerations when adding these facets to your game.

Unit 5: Myth, Symbolism, Ritual and Magic
In this unit, we will discuss some of the factors that can make role-playing games such powerful and transformative experiences, including the use of mythic structures, symbolic images, and ritual activities within games and also in the act of play itself.

Unit 6: Culture and Conflict in RPGs
In this unit, we deepen our understanding of culture, thinking about it as something surrounding games and also embedded within them.

Unit 7: Designing Safety Structures
In this unit, we will deepen into concepts related to safety design. Several issue that can arise with regard to psychological safety during games.

Unit 8: Game Technologies and RPGs
By its very name, analog role-playing emphasizes interactions between people unmediated by technology, but of course in reality, we often use technologies during play.

Unit 9: Offering and Receiving Design Feedback
In this unit, you will be providing feedback on the scenarios of other students. Figuring out the best way to give feedback can be difficult.

Unit 10: Transformative Game Design and You
In this unit, you will reflect upon the course as a whole.

About Course

Course Content

Course Information

Unit 1 Introduction to Role-playing Games This course explores foundational concepts and practices to consider when designing for transformative impacts. In addition to lectures, discussions, and journals, you will be designing a game.

Unit 2: Introduction to Transformative Role-playing Game Design In this unit, we will discuss three different types of contexts: transformative leisure, therapeutic, and educational role-playing games.

Unit 3: Transformative Role-playing Game Design in Practice In this unit, we will share our model of transformative role-playing games

Unit 4: Character, Culture and Mechanics Design In this unit, we will provide some techniques and additional considerations when adding these facets to your game.

Unit 5: Myth, Symbolism, Ritual and Magic In this unit, we will discuss some of the factors that can make role-playing games such powerful and transformative experiences, including the use of mythic structures, symbolic images, and ritual activities within games and also in the act of play itself.

Unit 6: Culture and Conflict in RPGs In this unit, we deepen our understanding of culture, thinking about it as something surrounding games and also embedded within them.

Unit 7: Designing Safety Structures In this unit, we will deepen into concepts related to safety design. Several issue that can arise with regard to psychological safety during games.

Unit 8: Game Technologies and RPGs By its very name, analog role-playing emphasizes interactions between people unmediated by technology, but of course in reality, we often use technologies during play.

Unit 9: Offering and Receiving Design Feedback In this unit, you will be providing feedback on the scenarios of other students. Figuring out the best way to give feedback can be difficult.

Unit 10: Transformative Game Design and You In this unit, you will reflect upon the course as a whole.

Unit 1 Introduction to Role-playing Games
This course explores foundational concepts and practices to consider when designing for transformative impacts. In addition to lectures, discussions, and journals, you will be designing a game.

Unit 2: Introduction to Transformative Role-playing Game Design
In this unit, we will discuss three different types of contexts: transformative leisure, therapeutic, and educational role-playing games.

Unit 3: Transformative Role-playing Game Design in Practice
In this unit, we will share our model of transformative role-playing games

Unit 4: Character, Culture and Mechanics Design
In this unit, we will provide some techniques and additional considerations when adding these facets to your game.

Unit 5: Myth, Symbolism, Ritual and Magic
In this unit, we will discuss some of the factors that can make role-playing games such powerful and transformative experiences, including the use of mythic structures, symbolic images, and ritual activities within games and also in the act of play itself.

Unit 6: Culture and Conflict in RPGs
In this unit, we deepen our understanding of culture, thinking about it as something surrounding games and also embedded within them.

Unit 7: Designing Safety Structures
In this unit, we will deepen into concepts related to safety design. Several issue that can arise with regard to psychological safety during games.

Unit 8: Game Technologies and RPGs
By its very name, analog role-playing emphasizes interactions between people unmediated by technology, but of course in reality, we often use technologies during play.

Unit 9: Offering and Receiving Design Feedback
In this unit, you will be providing feedback on the scenarios of other students. Figuring out the best way to give feedback can be difficult.

Unit 10: Transformative Game Design and You
In this unit, you will reflect upon the course as a whole.