Making Sense of the Magic: Legibility, Space, and Play in Tabletop Role-Playing Games

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Queer Social Change: Transformative Actions and Games for Social Change

Abstract

Through examination of the tabletop roleplaying experiences of queer individuals, this study was an investigation of the connection between legibility (the sense individuals make of themselves and their environments), space, and play. Findings revealed legibility to be interwoven into the intense moments of pleasure (the magic) experienced by participants, and that pleasure was intimately connected to the experience of “crossing-over.” Identified were five forces that regulate the pleasure possible within a space and maintain the threshold and bounds of the space. Lastly, a data-based process path was created for how players experienced personal transformation through play experiences, demonstrating the importance of intentional reflection and integration of play experiences toward the lasting effects of the magic.

Author

• Eboneigh Harris, Midwestern State University