EDGE

Empowering Game Design Education

Course Content
Course Information
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Welcome! Start Here for Important Information from Your Instructors
Course Calendar
Schedule & Instructions
Assessments & Deliverables
Policy on Generative AI
Course Material
Learning Objectives and Success Criteria
Orientation Quiz
Unit 1: Cultivating Transformational Communities
This course explores foundational concepts and practices to consider when community building around analog role-playing games for transformative impacts.
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Overview: Cultivating Transformational Communities
Discussion Forum Instructions
Sign up for Your Playtest and Feedback Group
Discussion 1: Leveling Up Role-playing Communities
Reflection Journal 1: Safety, Autobiographical Games, and You
Unit 2: Emotional Safety in Role-playing Games
We have touched upon many of the concepts in this Unit before, but we will focus less on game design and more around the community built around the game in terms of emotional safety.
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Overview: Emotional Safety in Role-playing Communities
Discussion Forum Instructions
Playtest 1: Crisis Management Scenarios
Discussion 2: Cultures of Hardcore, Consent, and Safety
Schedule Playtest 2: Autobiographical Games
Reflection Journal A: Diversity, Conflict, and You
Instructions for Major Assignment 1: Autobiographical Game Design Document
Discussion 4: Emotional Intensity and Role-playing Games
Unit 3: Academia and Analog Role-playing Games
This section considers a specific role-playing community: that of scholars studying these games and practices.
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Overview: Academia and Analog Role-playing Games
Discussion Forum Instructions
Discussion 4: Analog Role-playing Game Studies
Discussion A: Introduce Yourself and Connect! (ROCKET)
Unit 4: Group Dynamics and RPG Communities
We are broadening our scope now from role-playing games in academia to thinking about groups surrounding role-playing as a whole.
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Overview: Group Dynamics and RPG Communities
Discussion Forum Instructions
Discussion 5: Group Work, Listening, and Feedback
Submission of Major Assignment 1: Autobiographical Game Design Document
Instructions for Major Assignment 2: Cultivating Transformational Communities
Discussion B: Identifying Positions, Interests, Feelings, and Needs (ROCKET)
Unit 5: Conflict and RPG Communities
Our approach when discussing conflict will be to examine how games can address and sometimes even improve conflict situations.
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Overview: Conflict and RPG Communities
Discussion Forum Instructions
ROCKET Session 1 Zoom Login Information
Reflection Journal 2: Community Toxicity, Dysfunction, and You
Playtest 2: Autobiographical Games
Schedule Playtest 3: Autobiographical Games
Unit 6: Social Identities and Conflict in Role-playing Games
In alignment with this course’s focus on communities, we will shift gears to consider role-playing through a sociological lens.
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Overview: Social Identities and Conflict in Role-playing Games
Discussion Forum Instructions
Discussion 6: Social Identities and RPG Communities
Playtest 3: Autobiographical Games
Submission of First Draft of Major Assignment 2: Cultivating Transformational Communities
Peer Review Instructions for Major Assignment 2
ROCKET Session 2 Zoom Login Information
Discussion C: Conflict Styles – (Post in ROCKET Shell)
Unit 7: Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
In this unit, we will be explicitly focusing on the impacts of these topics on communities as a whole beyond the context of specific game designs or play experiences.
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Overview: Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
Discussion Forum Instructions
Reflection Journal 3: Cultural Consulting and You
Unit 8: Safer Community Container Setting
In this unit, we will speak more explicitly about the sorts of issues that can arise in communities and ways to make them feel safer.
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Overview: Safer Community Container Setting
Discussion 7: Safety Teams, Anti-Harassment Movements, and Organizer Safety
Submit Peer Reviews for Major Assignment 2
Discussion D: Worldview, Cognitive Dissonance, and Perception Checking – (ROCKET)
Reflection Journal 4: Codes of Conduct, Encouraged Behavior, and Internal Procedures
ROCKET Session 3 Zoom Login Information
Unit 9: RPG Communities Around the World
We have discussed styles and cultures of play before and examined various traditions. We will expand that work in this unit.
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Overview: RPG Communities Around the World
Discussion Forum Instructions
Discussion 8: RPG Communities Around the World
Unit 10: Transformational Communities and You
In this Unit, you will submit your final draft of Major Assignment 2, as well as reflect upon your experiences.
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Overview: Transformational Communities and You
Discussion Forum Instructions
Reflection Journal 5: Transformational Communities and You
Submission of Final Draft of Major Assignment 2: Cultivating Transformational Communities
Cultivating Transformative Communities

Overview: Academia and Analog Role-playing Games

Welcome to our unit on Academia and Analog Role-playing Games! This section considers a specific role-playing community: that of scholars studying these games and practices. As you may be aware, analog role-playing games are often marginalized in game studies. We will read material explaining why, which will hopefully also make clear why we believe it is important to maintain academic spaces like these courses. We will also discuss the development of role-playing game studies in various contexts, as well as the relationship between RPG studies and leisure discourse and play communities. Overall, we will emphasize the necessary dependence academia has upon play communities, as studying RPG is quite difficult in most contexts without consulting practitioner experiences in some way.

In addition, we will be exploring conflict transformation, including the core elements influencing interpersonal disputes, conflicts in intercultural communities such as role-playing groups, and academic debate. In particular, we will discuss positions, interests, feelings, and needs, which are core to all conflict. While academic debate often focuses on the position, i.e. “the argument” or “claim,” we will consider the ways in which the other elements of conflict underpin positions. Furthermore, some of the materials this week discuss conflicts within academic environments among others. By exploring the core aspects of conflict, we can consider how our own part in helping address conflicts in transformational communities.

Required Materials:

Readings:
  • Toft, Ida, and Sabine Harrer. 2020. “Design Bleed: A Standpoint Methodology for Game Design.” In Proceedings from DiGRA ’20 – Proceedings of the 2020 DiGRA International Conference: Play Everywhere: 1-18.
  • Torner, Evan. 2018. “Just (the Institution of Computer) Game Studies.” Analog Game Studies 5, no. 2 (June 3).
Readings (ROCKET Studium):
  • Bowman, Sarah Lynne. 2024. “Basic Human Needs.” ROCKET Shell.
  • Bowman, Sarah Lynne. 2024. “Emotions and Feelings.” ROCKET Shell.
  • Bowman, Sarah Lynne. 2024. “Overview: Introduction to Conflict Transformation.” ROCKET Shell.
  • Bowman, Sarah Lynne. 2024. “Overview: Positions, Interests, Feelings, and Needs.” ROCKET Shell.
  • Bowman, Sarah Lynne. 2024. “Presenting Issues and Triggering Events.” ROCKET Shell.
  • Bowman, Sarah Lynne. 2024. “Positions and Interests.” ROCKET Shell.
  • Hoffman Institute. 2015. “Feelings ListLinks to an external site.Open this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Links to an external site..” Hoffman Institute.
Videos (ROCKET Studium):
  • Bowman, Sarah Lynne. 2025. “Introduction to Conflict TransformationLinks to an external site..” ROCKET – Erasmus. YouTube, January 13.
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