Weekly Review Jan. 28th to Feb. 3rd

The theory developments this week have focused on the blurring of what have typically been taken as sharp lines, whether for characters or for RPGs as a whole.

A Character's Eyes

Rich Warren describes one of the under-appreciated roles of a GM. Namely acting as the view point of the player's characters. This goes beyond merely reporting senses, to the possibilities of incorporating moods and biases to make the perspective of the player more deeply tied to the character.

RPG Genres

Bradley "Brand" Robins expands on a dialogue from last week, about a genre-based view of the category of RPGs. Expanding on his own earlier ideas, he suggests that this variety of genres has produced different communities of practice. This requires an acceptance of these other genres, before there can be an effective "cross-disciplinary study."

Playing Multitudes

Guy Shalev discusses the personas people take on in various social situations, and contrasts this with the singularity of adopting a character, even in such deeply identified forms of RPGs as larps. Specifically he suggests that there may be more flexibility in how people identify with a character or characters than typically considered.