This presentation was delivered on October 20, 2022 at the Transformative Play Initiative Seminar 2022: Role-playing, Culture, and Heritage.
Description:
Tarot, though traditionally used for “fortune telling” purposes, can also be a tool for story generation and self-reflection. Based on the previous research on tarot’s use of self reflection, roleplay immersion and Jungian theory, we aim to create a roleplaying game that creates a “magic circle” with the intention of self-reflection for the player with the help of tarot imagery and abstraction. Sample scenario takes place in the “bar at the end of the universe”, where the players will be given the task of resolving a problem they want to handle before the “universe ends”. Through the surreal setting of the scenario, we aim to create a safe abstraction, while still mirroring contemporary anxieties regarding global warming, global pandemic, and other socio-economic issues and how it feels to deal with personal issues in a futureless world. We aim to conduct this research through designing a sample scenario, game instructions, and a personal tarot creation guide, as well as a sample personal tarot deck. We speculate that by encouraging the subject to create a custom tarot deck with symbols relevant to the individual’s own experiences and personal “mythology” will allow them to be further immersed in the roleplaying experience. This may lead to better self reflection and an overall therapeutic experience that allows for resolution of personal issues. We speculate that creating a customized deck will also make the game more accessible, as the players will not only be individuals with pre-existing tarot knowledge. Furthermore, incentivizing the player to design and conceptualize a deck relevant to them may serve as a creative outlet which in itself may be a beneficial experience that complements story generation. However, the sample scenario and the rules will be flexible for both custom decks and for the Rider–Waite pack, aiming to make the game accessible to the widest audience possible.
Bios:
Ayca Durmus is a master’s student in the Game Design department at Uppsala University. She has a background in English Literature and Language and she is interested in narrative design in games. She aims to create game designs that can move games as a medium and she aspires to do that with connections to literary studies and humanities. She has worked as a level designer and project manager in Dream Connection, a 2D platformer game which has been presented in Gotland Game Conference 2022, as well as on “What the Eye Sees”, her interactive story/bachelor’s thesis project about grief, friendship and meta-stories.
Sedef Topcuoglu is an English Literature and Language graduate from Bilkent University, with a minor in graphic design. She is an artist and storyteller who uses experimental mediums to present narratives. Some of her current projects include Self Arcana, “The Misadventures of Coconut Girl” zine, various short stories, and her blog, where she experiments with writing style and provides commentary on various topics. She comes from a multidisciplinary and multi cultural background. Her previous projects include translation projects, academic writing on English literature and culture, and has volunteered in the Socialist Thinking Society in Bilkent University.
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This seminar is hosted by the Transformative Play Initiative in the Games & Society Lab at the Department of Game Design, Uppsala University Campus Gotland. This seminar is made possible by financial support from the Sustainable Heritage Research Forum (SuHRF). The Transformative Play Initiative explores the use of analog role-playing games as vehicles for lasting personal and social change.
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Graphic Design by Liliia Chorna. Music by Elias Faltin. Video edited by Rezmo (Mohammad Mohammad Rezaie).