Official book of Knutpunkt 2014. Published in conjunc- tion with the Knutpunkt 2014 conference.

This handbook collects, for the first time, the state of research on role-playing games (RPGs) across disciplines, cultures, and media in a single, accessible volume. Collaboratively authored by more than 50 key scholars, it traces the history of RPGs, from wargaming precursors to tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons to the rise of live action role-play and contemporary computer RPG and massively multiplayer online RPG franchises, like Fallout and World of Warcraft. Individual chapters survey the perspectives, concepts, and findings on RPGs from key disciplines, like performance studies, sociology, psychology, education, economics, game design, literary studies, and more. Other chapters integrate insights from RPG studies around broadly significant topics, like transmedia worldbuilding, immersion, transgressive play, or player–character relations. Each chapter includes definitions of key terms and recommended readings to help fans, students, and scholars new to RPG studies find their way into this new interdisciplinary field.

This study takes an analytical approach to the world of role-playing games, providing a theoretical framework for understanding their psychological and sociological functions. Sometimes dismissed as escapist and potentially dangerous, role-playing actually encourages creativity, self-awareness, group cohesion and "out-of-the-box" thinking. The book also offers a detailed participant-observer ethnography on role-playing games, featuring insightful interviews with 19 participants of table-top, live action and virtual games.

Official book of Knutpunkt 2014. Published in conjunction with the Knutpunkt 2014 conference.

“One of the most profound and illuminating studies of this century to have been published in recent decades.”—John Gray, New York Times Book Review Hailed as “a magisterial critique of top-down social planning” by the New York Times, this essential work analyzes disasters from Russia to Tanzania to uncover why states so often fail—sometimes catastrophically—in grand efforts to engineer their society or their environment, and uncovers the conditions common to all such planning disasters. “Beautifully written, this book calls into sharp relief the nature of the world we now inhabit.”—New Yorker “A tour de force.”— Charles Tilly, Columbia University

Despite the advent and explosion of videogames, boardgames--from fast-paced party games to intensely strategic titles--have in recent years become more numerous and more diverse in terms of genre, ethos and content. The growth of gaming events and conventions such as Essen Spiel, Gen Con and the UK Games EXPO, as well as crowdfunding through sites like Kickstarter, has diversified the evolution of game development, which is increasingly driven by fans, and boardgames provide an important glue to geek culture. In academia, boardgames are used in a practical sense to teach elements of design and game mechanics. Game studies is also recognizing the importance of expanding its focus beyond the digital. As yet, however, no collected work has explored the many different approaches emerging around the critical challenges that boardgaming represents. In this collection, game theorists analyze boardgame play and player behavior, and explore the complex interactions between the sociality, conflict, competition and cooperation that boardgames foster. Game designers discuss the opportunities boardgame system designs offer for narrative and social play. Cultural theorists discuss boardgames' complex history as both beautiful physical artifacts and special places within cultural experiences of play.

DARE TO ENTER THE LABYRINTH OF SOULS ... Dungeon Solitaire: Labyrinth of Souls is a fantasy game for tarot cards. Defeat monsters, disarm traps, open doors, and navigate mazes as you explore a dangerous dungeon. Collect treasure and magic items, gain skills, and gather companions. But beware, the dungeon is vast, and death awaits those who linger too long. If your torches burn out you will be lost forever in the darkness. If your rations run dry, you will starve or go mad. And the dungeon itself is a force of corruption, threatening all who enter. Includes Basic, Expert, and Advanced Rules, as well as six game variations: Two-Player Cooperative, Dragon's Lair, Undead Hordes, Mega-Dungeon, Campaign Mode, and Cartomancy. For one or two players. Playable with any tarot deck. Labyrinth of Souls tarot cards are available for purchase through matthewlowes.com/games. REVIEWS FOR THE ORIGINAL GAME: "It is called Dungeon Solitaire ... and it is brilliant." -- John Payne, Sycarion Diversions "It's an amazing game ...." -- Tim Snider, The Savage Afterworld LABYRINTH OF SOULS BACKER QUOTES: "An extremely awesome, super fun game." "Amazingly detailed and well thought out .... Absolutely fantastic." "I have been consumed by this game and overjoyed at how much clever thought went into the making of this project." "There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of solitaire variants out there, but this is exactly what I've been looking for since the dawn of time. It's amazing something like this hasn't been created until now." "Received my book today and absolutely love it." "Arrived and I couldn't stop playing it ....: -)"