Senior Thesis Literature Review

Race Theory, Game Theory and Tabletop Role-Playing Game Culture

in Dungeons and Dragons

The widely-acclaimed tabletop RPG game Dungeons and Dragons, affectionately known

by its followers of D&D, has come a long way since the 1980’s, where it was first published by

war-gaming company. That changed, however, when players became more focused on the aspect

of play: the unpredictability, the cooperation, and the goal of working together to overcome a

common goal, rather than simply “winning the game” (Mason). Here, I will be analyzing the

systematic racism that is present in the lore and the gameplay of D&D, such as how, through

popular culture, the game was influenced in such a way as to pick up on some of the racial

stereotypes that accompany the playable races in the game itself. This, in turn, ultimately affect

the players interact with the game, the Dungeon Master, and each other. Second, I will also be

using game theory to justify how the role of narratives help to accomplish tasks more easily, and

how, based on the connections that are established between player and character, a deep

emotional bond is formed. Because of this bond, players are usually more inclined to experience

the same emotional reactions that their characters, especially when they are placed in potentially

immoral or dangerous situations.

Tabletop RPG Culture

Continuing from my last point, studies suggest that players of role-playing video games

experience strong emotional reactions when exposed to morally ambiguous narrative scenarios

that end in violence. In fact, unjustified violence triggered even stronger feelings of guilt. This all

stems from the emotional attachments that players have with their characters the longer a game

goes on (Hanus and Mahood 61). Even though these studies were conducted in response to video

games, the same reactions can still be found in tabletop role-playing games. In fact, the

emotional reactions can even more visceral, due to the fact that the consequences of the player’s

actions is not given to them visually, but is rather something that their minds envision on their

own. This could be even more terrifying and graphic than anything that man could produce. Also,

the unpredictability of the results of a player’s actions based on the roll of the dice is terrifying

because the player is never certain of the outcome. It is always left to chance. It is not just the

player’s actions, however. The idea of experiencing, or in game terms, living through their

character’s backstory, especially if it is more complex, also leads to a greater impact emotionally

on the player (Mahood and Hanus 64). However, sometimes, to some players, this connection

between player and character is not as on-the-surface as it may appear, as sometimes the

connection “is unknown even to the player, until he or she is pressed” (Underwood).

Along with developing intense emotional connections, On the one hand, this type of

game in particular stands out drastically from regular board and card games. It affects the brain

differently, it engages the players in very unique ways, both individually and as a group, and it

provides completely different, and a majority if the time unexpected, results.

As stated before, tabletop RPGs allow certain personalities to explore and engage

with others in ways that wouldn’t be as possible in real life scenarios. Specifically looking

at Machiavellianism in terms of moral and ethical behavior, there are certain narrative situations

that arise that allow specific personalities of people to shine more than others. This would include

people who would be more assertive, dominant, or even more “power-hungry” than others. They

have the ability to manipulate the group, as well as the game to a certain extent, in order to

achieve their own goals and better themselves in the game world. An important question to be

asked is how well this type of personality would work in certain social circles, depending on how

well the other members of the group know this particular individual, vice versa, and even what

all of their relationships are with each other.

The role of stories in this type of game system allows players to act out and engage

overcoming obstacles with better accuracy than they would or could in real life (Grüne-Yanoff et

al 139). Being able to visualize these scenarios in one’s head, as it is almost expected, allows for

better teamwork in coming up with ways to solve the problem or with handling a particularly

delicate situation. The act of participating in storytelling, whether doing the actual telling of the

story or being a listener, establishes a unique connection that is not normally present in card

games and other board games (Grüne-Yanoff et al 141). As this type of game is also known for

occasional collaborating storytelling by all members of the group, all of the members become

even more invested when they have to put even more effort into the story and the world as a

whole rather than simply reacting to situations that are put in front of them.

Also, when players are not as directly engaged in the storytelling process, they could be

engaged in planning short or long-term strategy. Some players prefer to take action immediately

upon being given a challenge or obstacle to overcome. Other players choose to wait and listen

to the decisions of the rest of the group, choosing to either change their action completely, or base

off a group consensus. Sometimes certain decisions even need to be put to a vote, in which case

certain players, depending on the number of the group, may or may not have to be the tie-breaker

vote.

These guidelines, those aspects of tabletop RPG culture as a whole, affect how the game

is played. Applying game theory using said guidelines, there are many different aspects of

gameplay that emerge. Such as how certain personalities affect group dynamics, and the

importance of narration in being able to overcome particularly difficult social and moral

scenarios.

In applying game theory to D&D, there is the opportunity to observe the different types of

personalities that can manipulate and influence the game. Also, the importance of narratives in

tabletop role-playing games in teaching players about game construction, interpretation and

solution of game structures.

A common stereotype amongst the white, male dominated player is the Machiavellian

tactics used in the game. The idea being that this type of personality, also known as a

“murder-hobo” in game terms, does not take into account the consequences of their actions, and

therefore kills without honor and decency, having no moral qualms with the actions that they take

in game. However, this type of player is not completely based off of their personality. In fact,

D&D “encourages its players to use racial stereotypes as justification for genocide, and to profit

from ethnic cleansing” (Clements 48).

Clempner breaks down the aspect of Machiavellian tactics even further, identifying two

different types. The first type are players with high Machiavelliansim, those that are known for

the use of rational indirect tactics, and the second type are those with low Machiavellianism, or

those that use rational direct tactics (Clempner). This type of player, as it is clear, is only

concerned with achieving and holding the most power in the game, using manipulation and

manipulation tactics to achieve their goals.

By adding race theory to the other aspects of the game, the question can be raised, how is

game theory affected by the selection of playable races, and how does that affect the overall game

dynamic?

Race Theory

First and foremost, the majority of the racism that is commonplace in the lore of D&D

can be attributed to Tolkien and his “standardization of fantastic creatures,” which doesn’t

specifically apply to this game, but has branches that reach out to many other types of popular

culture (Clements 39). This is something that has not change going all the way back to the first

edition of D&D back in the 1980’s. In fact, the first edition was one of the first games where

players knew that at least half, if not more, of the rules would be be seriously altered or even

discarded, mainly due to the fact that so many aspects of gameplay were seriously flawed

(Mason).

One of these pervasive effects that plagued the first edition was that fact that many of the

playable races, at least, those that are considered “non-human,” are portrayed as “‘limited sets of

human personalities,’” in that this particular set of races were only broadly described in such a

way as to set them apart from the “human” races (Clements 43). How this ultimately plays out, is

that these, what are considered “monstrous” races in game terms, are not given the “cultural

construction” that they deserve, and are therefore simply left to be “painted in broad strokes,”

leaving players with only their human experiences to guess as to play these non-human races

(Clements 32-44).

Conclusion

Dungeons and Dragons, despite its popularity and notoriety amongst all tabletop gamers,

it is not devoid of flaws. The play material is rife with racism, despite the good intentions of the

past and current publishing companies. The fault is not all on them, though. Popular culture,

mythology and media have all contributed to the entanglement of social issues that players of

D&D are subjected to. It itself is unique in the way it influences and manipulates its players,

leaving every action, every choice and sometimes entire conversations are left to chance by the

roll of the dice. Even with all of these issues, D&D still brings people together of all ages, races,

shapes and sizes, despite its overwhelming population of straight white males. The unique

opportunities provided by this game are unlike any other. It gives players the abilities to play out

different social scenarios, learning that there are true and, sometimes permanent, consequences

for their actions, many of which are not reversible by simply clicking a button on a screen. It is

for this reason, among many others, that the tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons has lasted for

more than 30 years.

Reference List

Chad, Mahood, and Hanus Michael. “Role-Playing Video Games and Emotion: How
Transportation Into the Narrative Mediates the Relationship Between Immoral Actions
and Feelings of Guilt.” Psychology of Popular Media Culture, no. 1, 2017, p. 61.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.1037/ppm0000084.

Clements, Philip. "Roll to Save vs. Prejudice: The Phenomenology of Race in Dungeons &
Dragons ." Electronic Thesis or Dissertation. Bowling Green State University, 2015.
OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. 16 Oct 2018.

Clempner, Julio B. “A Game Theory Model for Manipulation Based on Machiavellianism: Moral
and Ethical Behavior.” Journal of Artificial Societies & Social Simulation, vol. 20, no. 2,
Mar. 2017, p. 4. EBSCOhost,
bulldogs.tlu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edo&AN=122781758&site=eds-live&scope=site

Grüne-Yanoff, Till, and Paul Schweinzer. “The Roles of Stories in Applying Game Theory.”
Journal of Economic Methodology, vol. 15, no. 2, June 2008, pp. 131–146. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1080/13501780802115075.

Paul Mason. “A History of RPGs: Made by Fans; Played by Fans.” Transformative Works and
Cultures , Vol 11 (2012), 2012. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3983/twc.2012.0444.

Turnwald, Annemarie, et al. “Understanding Human Avoidance Behavior: Interaction-Aware
Decision Making Based on Game Theory.” International Journal of Social Robotics, vol.
8, no. 2, Apr. 2016, pp. 331–351. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s12369-016-0342-2.

Underwood, Michael Robert. “The Friends That Game Together: A Folkloric Expansion of Textual Poaching to Genre Farming for Socialization in Tabletop Role-Playing Games.” Transformative Works and Cultures , Vol 2 (2009), 2009. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3983/twc.2009.0087.