Educational Roleplaying

Matthijs Holter · January 08, 2008, 04:00:57 AM

There's been a lot of talk over the past years about educational role-playing. Role-playing is being used by English teachers in Taipei, LARP schools in Denmark and Californian summer schools.

A lot of these people are basically on their own in unknown territory. I'd like to gather forces to share experiences and get in touch with others who are doing the same thing.

I've set up a forum that's meant to help with that. Here we can talk about our projects, businesses, experiences. There's also a page of links to books, researchers and web articles.

If you're interested, take a look at the Educational Roleplaying forum!

riprock · January 08, 2008, 06:46:30 AM

Looks like it will be good, but I'm a bit busy right now.

I'll try to create an account about nine days from now.

RPGPundit · January 08, 2008, 01:30:08 PM

I don't know about specifically "educational" RPGs, but I've often thought that playing D&D or other RPGs could be a useful tool in teaching English as a second language (both reading and conversational).

I've often fiddled with the idea of offering English practice classes where I'd run RPG games with groups of people; just never had the time to try such an idea.

RPGPundit

Settembrini · January 08, 2008, 01:38:26 PM

Aren´t these the guys from the "misery tourism" RPG?

Pierce Inverarity · January 08, 2008, 01:43:47 PM

In the 70s roleplaying was supposed to be a tool for therapy. Now it's supposed to be one for education. How about not using it as a tool for anything? This kind of thing makes me want to turn into Stanley Fish, which is horrible.

PS: Yes Settembrini, they are. So, education & therapy = one unholy (Skandinavian-)welfare-state-must-provide-cure-for-its-citizens union.

Ian Absentia · January 08, 2008, 02:17:52 PM

Quote from: Pierce InverarityIn the 70s roleplaying was supposed to be a tool for therapy. Now it's supposed to be one for education. How about not using it as a tool for anything?

In my opinion, roleplaying has a definite place in both therapy and education. However -- and this bit is crucial -- it is not a "game" when used in either context. Similarly -- and this is crucial, too -- when you're roleplaying as a game, it should be explicitly intended as neither therapy nor education, whatever therapeutic or educational benefit one may personally derive from the experience.

!i!

James McMurray · January 08, 2008, 02:21:23 PM

I played a session of Land of 1,000 Kings with my son. When I left the room and came back he'd bumped his dice over to different numbers (making some of them 6's). He learned that cheating ends the session immediately. Does that count as educational enough?

The funny thing is, it was our first conflict and I was in the middle of explaining the rules. The ones and twos he changed went from successes to failures.

QuoteIn the 70s roleplaying was supposed to be a tool for therapy. Now it's supposed to be one for education. How about not using it as a tool for anything?

What do you have against helping people? Or perhaps somebody comes by your house every now and then and tries to force you to play differently?

Pierce Inverarity · January 08, 2008, 02:37:33 PM

James, I have no problem with helping people. I have no problem with kids learning to spell Camelot from playing Pendragon, or learning to spell Denmark from reading Hamlet.

I have a massive problem with instrumentalizing culture for pedagogy. Because that's when it gets moralistic and prescriptive, and therefore ultimately anti-cultural. "RPGs teach us sociability." "RPGs teach us the ethics of a good story." See the emo tourism thread on this website, started by the present thread starter, for one consequence of that approach.

James McMurray · January 08, 2008, 02:49:25 PM

Where's the thread? If it's in Off Topic I can go there because I mentioned Dominus Nox's name.

In any case though, people will be stupid with whatever tools you give them. If it work, I say go for it. I can't speak to education, although I know reading Gygax taught me a ton of words I'd probably never have learned otherwise. For counseling though, RPGs can definitely help.

Likewise, the setting will only be as moralistic and prescriptive as the counselor wants it to be and the patient will allow. This will happen no matter the tools. If someone can have fun with an RPG during the process, that's great.

Ian Absentia · January 08, 2008, 03:04:01 PM

Quote from: James McMurrayWhere's the thread?

Holocaust/Shoah RPG: We All Had Names. In the Game Design and Teory forum. It goes on at some length. "Onanistic misery tourism" was the high point in my opinion.

!i!

James McMurray · January 08, 2008, 03:12:28 PM

I didn't make it that far. I got through about half of post 15 or so and gave up. My enthusiasm about playing a holocaust game is nonexistent. My desire to berate someone who makes one is also not there, since I doubt I could say anything that would faze someone who thinks it's a good idea. Basically the only thing that thread could have given me was a depressed feeling, and if I want that I'll just gaze intently at my cube's 3 1/2 walls.

JDCorley · January 08, 2008, 03:16:00 PM

Roleplaying has been used as an educational tool in American schools for yeeeeeeeeeeeears. It was my first experience with roleplaying. In the 7th grade, each of us in the American history class played a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. We each got a paragraph of background, a list of things we each wanted to see happen, and over four days of negotiation we had to hammer out various questions.

The purpose was to teach modern 7th graders that thought slavery was stupid and obviously wrong why the framers couldn't just throw it out the window. It was really cool. I was Benjamin Franklin.

Levi Kornelsen · January 08, 2008, 03:24:05 PM

People can self-therapise, and learn, from roleplaying games that are played for fun.

People can have fun, and self-therapise, in instructional roleplaying games.

People can have fun, and learn, from roleplaying games that are played as therapy.

All these things are good and well and fine. But attempting to make a game be several of these things at one and the same time, or marketing a game designed to "push" one as if it were another - especially trying to push therapeudic-oriented games as entertainment?

I'm not a fan of that idea. To the point where I could go all :pundit: on it.

Pierce Inverarity · January 08, 2008, 03:27:17 PM

Balloons come down, champagne is popping: I agree with a Levi post.

James J Skach · January 08, 2008, 03:31:30 PM

When Levi threatens to go Pundit - you have no choice but to agree. Resistance is futile.