2019
Heljakka, Katriina; Harviainen, J. Tuomas
From Displays and Dioramas to Doll Dramas Journal Article
In: American Journal of Play, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 351–379, 2019, ISSN: 1938-0399.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Adult play, Adult toy play, Creativity, Object play, Object relations, Photoplay, Social media, Social play, Toys, World play, Worldbuilding
@article{Heljakka2019,
title = {From Displays and Dioramas to Doll Dramas},
author = {Katriina Heljakka and J. Tuomas Harviainen},
url = {https://trepo.tuni.fi/handle/10024/116158},
issn = {1938-0399},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
urldate = {2019-01-01},
journal = {American Journal of Play},
volume = {11},
number = {3},
pages = {351–379},
publisher = {The Strong},
address = {Rochester},
abstract = {Toys both guide and foster the play—and stimulate the imaginations—of players of all ages. The authors investigate adult use of toys as a point of entry to the world play of both transmedia-connected and stand alone toy characters—dolls, action figures, and soft toys. They point to how adult toy players engage actively in world building in their world play and suggest that play better describes the object relations of adults with toys than such notions as collecting or pursuing a hobby. They discuss how adults use world playing with toys to develop toy industry back stories and replay—and sometimes revolutionize—original story lines familiar from popular fiction. And they highlight how mature audiences for character toys employ these physical objects to explore their capacity for imaginative, spatial, and hybrid world play.},
keywords = {Adult play, Adult toy play, Creativity, Object play, Object relations, Photoplay, Social media, Social play, Toys, World play, Worldbuilding},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Toys both guide and foster the play—and stimulate the imaginations—of players of all ages. The authors investigate adult use of toys as a point of entry to the world play of both transmedia-connected and stand alone toy characters—dolls, action figures, and soft toys. They point to how adult toy players engage actively in world building in their world play and suggest that play better describes the object relations of adults with toys than such notions as collecting or pursuing a hobby. They discuss how adults use world playing with toys to develop toy industry back stories and replay—and sometimes revolutionize—original story lines familiar from popular fiction. And they highlight how mature audiences for character toys employ these physical objects to explore their capacity for imaginative, spatial, and hybrid world play.
2018
Schrier, Karen; Torner, Evan; Hammer, Jessica
Worldbuilding in Role-Playing Games Book Section
In: Zagal, José P.; Deterding, Sebastian (Ed.): Role-Playing Game Studies: Transmedia Foundations, pp. 349–363, 2018, ISBN: 0815369204.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Role-playing games, Worldbuilding
@incollection{Schrier2018,
title = {Worldbuilding in Role-Playing Games},
author = {Karen Schrier and Evan Torner and Jessica Hammer},
editor = {José P. Zagal and Sebastian Deterding},
url = {https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315637532-20/worldbuilding-role-playing-games-karen-schrier-evan-torner-jessica-hammer},
doi = {10.4324/9781315637532-20},
isbn = {0815369204},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-04-24},
urldate = {2018-04-24},
booktitle = {Role-Playing Game Studies: Transmedia Foundations},
pages = {349–363},
abstract = {This chapter explores the complexity of worldbuilding in role-playing games (RPGs). It discusses its origins in literary practices and how it forms an integral part of RPGs, both in their creation and their play. Worldbuilding is often an integral component of RPGs, whether conducted by designers, players, or both in tandem. Game designers and game masters are worldbuilders by definition, fleshing out a fictional world in code, words, or physical props. In some RPGs, players are inextricably involved in the worldbuilding such that the game only exists once the world is created by its players. In other RPGs, worldbuilding is a top-down process. A designer or group of designers creates the world from high concept to detailed settings and non-player characters. Storylines, plots, and possible sequences of events may be more or less rigidly pre-scripted. While every game is a co-creation between player and designer, some games are specifically designed to balance their worldbuilding aspects between players and designers.},
keywords = {Role-playing games, Worldbuilding},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
This chapter explores the complexity of worldbuilding in role-playing games (RPGs). It discusses its origins in literary practices and how it forms an integral part of RPGs, both in their creation and their play. Worldbuilding is often an integral component of RPGs, whether conducted by designers, players, or both in tandem. Game designers and game masters are worldbuilders by definition, fleshing out a fictional world in code, words, or physical props. In some RPGs, players are inextricably involved in the worldbuilding such that the game only exists once the world is created by its players. In other RPGs, worldbuilding is a top-down process. A designer or group of designers creates the world from high concept to detailed settings and non-player characters. Storylines, plots, and possible sequences of events may be more or less rigidly pre-scripted. While every game is a co-creation between player and designer, some games are specifically designed to balance their worldbuilding aspects between players and designers.