EPISODE 30: CO-CREATION THROUGH TABLETOP ROLE-PLAY
Episode 30: Co-Creation Through Tabletop Role-Play | 16 June 2026
Stephen and Trent discuss their experiences with tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) to catalog affordances for collaboration, reflection, and creative writing, including:
Similarities and differences between digital and analog role-play;
The inherent limitations of computer programming versus imagination;
How “Satanic Panic” influenced sociocultural and political perceptions of role-play;
Role-play as a vital tool for exerting autonomy;
Vygotsky’s social constructivist framework for enculturation through play;
TTRPGs as “safe to fail” environments for exploring complex, challenging, or antisocial ideas;
Eschewing “crunchy” combat-heavy mechanics in favor of narrative-driven play;
“Prosumerism” and the act of creation versus passive consumption;
Incorporating “yes and” improv techniques throughout collaborative role-play;
Using character backgrounds and narrative beats to teach perspective-taking and story structure;
The “intentional spring” model for inducing goal adoption and negotiating meaning;
Transferring practical life skills out of collaborative TTRPG environments;
Becoming a “guide on the side” for more effective teaching and dungeon mastering;
Implementing safety tools and encouraging socially diverse expressions of play; and
Leveraging collaborative role-play to deconstruct lived reality.
Episode References:
Weis, M. & Hickman, T. (2000). Dragonlance chronicles [Boxed set]. Wizards of the Coast.
Jackson, P. (Director). (2001). The lord of the rings: The fellowship of the ring [Film]. WingNut Films; The Saul Zaentz Company.
Gygax, G. (1979). Advanced dungeons & dragons dungeon masters guide (1st ed.). TSR.
Blume, B. & Gygax, E. (1979). Boot hill: Wild west role-playing game (2nd ed.). TSR.
TSR, Inc. (1982). Star frontiers: Alpha dawn (1st ed.). TSR.
Carr, M. (1980). Top secret: An espionage role-playing game. TSR.
Costikyan, G. (1987). Star Wars: The role-playing game (1st ed.) [Role-playing game]. West End Games.
Alexander, C. (2021). Coyote & Crow: The role-playing game (1st ed.). Coyote & Crow LLC.
Snowbright Studio. (2023). Teatime adventures: A Verdant Isles roleplaying game. Snowbright Studio.
Perry, S. (1996). Star Wars: Shadows of the empire. Bantam Books.
Morningstar, J. (2009). Fiasco. Bully Pulpit Games.
Härenstam, T. (2020). Vaesen: Nordic horror roleplaying. Free League Publishing.
Chick, J. T. (1984). Dark dungeons. Chick Publications.
Harper, J. (2017). Blades in the dark. Evil Hat Productions.
Toffler, A. (1980). The third wave. Bantam Books.
Hammer, J. (2007). Agency and authority in role-playing texts. In C. Lankshear & M. Knobel (Eds.), A new literacies sampler (pp. 69–86). Peter Lang.
Cover, J. G. (2010). The creation of narrative in tabletop role-playing games. McFarland & Company.
Wizards of the Coast. (2016). Curse of Strahd (5th ed.). Wizards of the Coast.
Bethesda Game Studios. (2008). Fallout 3 [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.
Blizzard Entertainment. (2004). World of Warcraft [Video game]. Blizzard Entertainment.
Bowman, S. L. (2010). The functions of role-playing games: How participants create community, solve problems, and explore identity. McFarland & Company.
Fine, G. A. (1983). Shared fantasy: Role-playing games as social worlds. University of Chicago Press.
Alder, A. & Rosenbaum, B. (2018). Dream askew; Dream apart. Buried Without Ceremony.
Shaw, R. E., Kadar, E., Sim, M., & Repperger, D. W. (1992). The intentional spring: A strategy for modeling systems that learn to perform intentional acts. Journal of Motor Behavior, 24(1), 3–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222895.1992.9941598
Slota, S. T. (2014). Project TECHNOLOGIA: A game-based approach to understanding situated intentionality. Doctoral Dissertations. 638. https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/dissertations/638
Sagan, C. (1995). The demon-haunted world: Science as a candle in the dark. Ballantine Books.
Mackay, D. (2001). The fantasy role-playing game: A new performing art. McFarland.
Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt. (1992). The Jasper Series as an Example of Anchored Instruction: Theory, Program Description, and Assessment Data. Educational Psychologist, 27(3), 291–315. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep2703_3
Slota, S. T. & Young, M. F. (2017). The inevitability of epic fail: Exploding the castle with situated learning. In Young, M. F. & Slota, S. T. (Eds.) Exploding the Castle: Rethinking How Video Games & Game Mechanics Can Shape the Future of Education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Parsons, K. (Director). (2026). Backrooms [Film]. A24; North Road Films.
Parsons, K. [Kane Pixels]. (2022, January 7). The Backrooms (Found Footage) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4dGpz6cnHo
Pillow Castle Games. (2019). Superliminal [Video game]. Pillow Castle Games.
Valve. (2007). Portal (Version 1.0.0) [Video game]. Valve.
Galactic Cafe. (2013). The Stanley Parable (Version 1.0) [Video game]. Galactic Cafe.