Volume 11, Issue 2, 2024
Articles
- An Elegant Little Instrument: The Japanese Standards Association and the Birth of the Modern d20
This article traces the history of the twenty-sided die or d20. The story of how the d20 became synonymous with wargames and role-playing games is an unlikely one, full of bizarre twists and fortuitous encounters. It includes some familiar characters, such as game designers Gary Gygax and Lou Zocchi, but others less well known in gaming circles, including eminent science writer Martin Gardner, and Ishida Yasushi, a quality control engineer at Toshiba. It spans several decades and three continents, from the seaside town of Kamakura in the autumn of 1950, to the shores of Lake Geneva in the winter of 1973-4.
- 50 Years of Gen Con Events: A Dataset Analysis
This article examines tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) activities at Gen Con, the original, longest-running gaming convention in the world with 70,000+ annual attendees as of 2023 to document two key characteristics of Gen Con RPG events over 50 years: 1) a long-term and increasing transmedia presence, and 2) an overlooked educational function as a format to teach and learn about gaming. By examining TTRPG events at Gen Con between 1968-2017 against a backdrop of 160,000+ convention program offerings, this analysis demonstrates the "knowledge work" and transmedia nature of theoretical and ethnographic scholarship about fandom.
- From Consumers to Creators: Bridging Game Play and Playful Game Design for Impactful Civic Education
This paper explores game-based learning in youth work, as games offer immense variety in form and subject matter and can vary from simple to very complex, enabling different learning outcomes from cognitive skills and affective changes (feelings and emotions) to interpersonal social skills. Specifically, the paper presents the findings and experiences of running a project called "Board Games Design as a Tool in Civic Education," which allowed young people take the role of creators and game designers to explore social topics they cared about. The project was a response to the theme of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2021, "Europe for YOUth – YOUth for Europe: Space for Democracy and Participation," which hoped to strengthen young people's democratic participation.