Discussion 10: Ritual, Symbolism, and Myth
Read sections 6.1-6.4 until the end of “Symbolism” in Bowman et al.’s “Chapter 6: Key Concepts, Techniques, and Purposes for Transformative Role-playing Game Design” in Transformative Role-playing Game Design.
Read Whitney Beltrán’s “Yearning for the Hero Within: Live Action Role-Playing as Engagement with Mythical Archetypes.”
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Then, answer the following questions:
- In 2-3 sentences, describe why Beltrán thinks myth is important to experience through play in contemporary Western society. Can you think of an example of a role-playing game or another type of game that played with mythic elements?
- If not, why do you think such elements might be powerful to experience for players hypothetically?
- Have you ever experienced or designed a ritual in a game, whether a role-playing game or another type of game? If so, describe.
- If not, describe a ritual you can imagine designing for transformative impacts in a role-playing game.
- Consider one of the following rites of passage: birth, coming of age, partnership commitment, death. Provide a brief design sketch of a short role-playing game around this rite of passage. Feel free to be creative in terms of genre: fantasy, science fiction, post-apocalyptic, historical, etc.
Finally, respond to at least two (2) of your peers in Ask a Question, Answer a Question format.