Why so serious? It's only a game : a sociological study of values in tabletop role-playing games in Singapore

• Main Authors: Tan, Jiun Da, Ng, Shi Ying
• Other Authors: Ian McGonigle
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/76440
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The paper examines the motivations and values in tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG) community in Singapore. A research gap exists as TTRPG in Singapore, a new but growing imported Western game model has not caught the attention of scholars. In-depth qualitative interviews with 15 players revealed that players in Singapore subscribe to similar traits of good gamer, as Western players. It also contributes to understanding how these traits are ranked and what behaviours discourage future play between players. Our study revealed that there are tensions between the cooperative nature of the game vis-à-vis the competitive spirit of players, as evident from traits of bad gamers described by our respondents. Our study also contributes to the field of roleplay studies by showing how TTRPG is played and why it is a growing phenomenon by explaining how it differs from online gaming. We argue that gaming presents an interesting window into societal values, beyond the reported benefits of TTRPG in education and socialization. Keywords: Cooperation, Competitiveness, Motivations, Traits, Values, Roleplay, Good Gamer, Bad Gamer, Kiasuism Word Count: 9,919 words