Gaming for Social Change with ‘Critical Role’ and ‘Dungeons & Dragons’
Fans have pledged $11M to a Dungeons & Dragons group because they champion safety and inclusion. Does this have larger, real-world implications?
Kym Buchanan
Kym Buchanan is a professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He studies and teaches psychology and media studies. His ideal game would be a mashup of Kohan, System Shock, and dwarves. His professional website is KymBuchanan.org and he tweets @reach2grow.
Hard Fun in Gaming: On Finding the Sweet Spot in Anxiety
As gamers, we frequently contrive artificial difficulty to foster enjoyment.
Dying Is a Learning Opportunity
A game's cues and feedback shouldn't quell the impulse to take a risk, shouldn't smother learning before it can happen. If XP measures learning, then losing XP for dying is wrong.
Can Transparency Motivate Gamers?
Transparency means that I can always find enjoyment in improving my personal high score when I play a game, whether or not I win or lose.
Why Gamers Love Guilds
At its best a guild helps members meet their fundamental human needs, like approval, affiliation, and self-determination
Gamers Believe in Getting Better
When we need to grind experience points, we seek out enemies at the edge of our current abilities. We seek optimal challenge.
Go Small: Find the Thrill in Humble Stakes
When a game does engage with what's sublime in being human, it often still reverts to staid larger-than-life tropes. However, what I'm looking for is the adventures of the everyday.
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