Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
HUM-402
Research Proposal
Importance of Collaborative Storytelling in Dungeons & Dragons
Abstract
The objective of this project is to discuss the important social and creative aspects of
collaborative storytelling – specifically in the popular tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons &
Dragons (D&D). I’m planning on collecting previous research – one quantitative – as well as
using interviews, both recorded with “professional” players and, hopefully, a few personal
interviews of people in the roleplaying game club at York College. The result will be a summary
of the important aspects of Dungeons & Dragons– both socially and creatively.
I think that, socially, D&D, can create lasting friendships, as well as help with teamwork
improvisation exercise – it all comes down to dice rolls and decisions made by other players in
the end and, on the other hand, if you are the Game Master (leader of the game) you are
responsible for creating a story, a world your players want to play in.
Proposal
The objective of this project is to discuss the important social, moral, and creative aspects
of collaborative storytelling – specifically in the popular tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons &
Dragons. I plan to do some research into past studies – at least one quantitative – on the topic, as
well as speaking to people about their firsthand experiences playing Dungeons & Dragons. I am
also planning on using recorded interviews from the cast of Critical Role – a weekly online
livestream of Dungeons & Dragons – to add more personal, subjective experiences to the
project.
In the end, the goal of this project is to show some connection between collaborative
storytelling and the social, creative development of people who work together to create tales in a
world like Dungeons & Dragons. I want to add on to the current viewpoints in regard to the
importance of Dungeons & Dragons and add the viewpoints of more people into the mix.
I think that, socially, D&D, can create lasting friendships, as well as help with teamwork
improvisation exercise – it all comes down to dice rolls and decisions made by other players in
the end and, on the other hand, if you are the Game Master (leader of the game) you are
responsible for creating a story, a world your players want to play in.
There have been several small-scale studies on the impact that collaborative storytelling
and Dungeons & Dragons have on the people that participate. With this project, I would like to
expand on that knowledge and draw from my own experiences, as well as the experiences of
other people that I know, to simply add to the pool of information that exists on this topic.
I think that this is a valuable topic to do research on, because of the subsections of people
who are under the impression that people who play Dungeons & Dragons are Satan worshippers
or “bad kids.” This is, simply, not the case. Storytelling with Dungeons & Dragons creates more
I’m planning on finding players in real life – I’m going to try and speak to people in the
roleplaying game club on campus – to speak to about this, because I’d love to hear personal
stories of how Dungeons & Dragons and collaborative storytelling has impacted people. Since I
don’t have those people yet, they aren’t included in the below bibliography, but they will be
and I really think that tabletop RPGs are a crucial tool to social and creative development in
players.
Working Bibliography
Liam O'Brien Talks Friendship, Characters and Endings, D&D Beyond, 10 Oct. 2017,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-AS6C5vBhM.
{This is one of the interviews with “professional” players that I was referring to. In this, Liam O’Brien talks a lot
about the friendships he has made with the group he plays D&D with, as well as how it has influenced him
Lis, Eric, et al. “Psychiatrists’ Perceptions of Role-Playing Games.” Psychiatric Quarterly, vol.
{I have included this, because it is a look at how a psychiatrist was introduced to the influence and development
capabilities of D&D. They had a problematic patient, who came in discussing D&D and they began using it as a tool
Maccallum-Stewart, Esther. “Productive Violence and Poststructural Play in the Dungeons and
doi:10.4135/9781412971935.n118.
{This article speaks a lot about the social impacts of D&D. How the game and the way it is structured creates healthy
conflicts and resolutions in groups, as well as how it makes a positive impact on lives.}
Mizer, Nicholas J. “The Paladin Ethic and the Spirit of Dungeoneering.” The Journal of Popular
{This article discusses some of the morality that D&D can help develop, but the main reasons I included it is because it
also speaks on the creativity elements and how the randomness of the game adds a new, interesting creative
storytelling element.}
speakingeek.podbean.com/e/speakin-geek-with-critical-role/.
{This is a podcast interview with several of the members of Critical Role. The reason I have included this is that
Marisha Ray, a member of the gaming group, says a fantastic quote towards the end of the podcast about her opinion
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRWM-mfPCTU.
{This is another interview with “professional” players that I was talking about, in which Taliesin Jaffe discusses
similar things to what Liam O’Brien did in his interview – he speaks on the friendships he has made or strengthened
by playing D&D, as well as personal ways he has been impacted by the game.}
Research Question(s)
How does Dungeons & Dragons influence social and creative development?
How has Dungeons & Dragons impacted real players of the game?
How does Dungeons & Dragons inspire creativity in the community and create massive
storytelling opportunities?
life to speak to about the impact of storytelling in Dungeons & Dragons. Luckily, Artemis
informed me about a roleplaying game club on campus, so I’m going to reach out to them and
see if any of them would be willing to speak to me about their personal experiences.