This presentation was delivered on October 20, 2022 at the Transformative Play Initiative Seminar 2022: Role-playing, Culture, and Heritage.
Description:
Role-playing games (RPGs) undeniably possess common elements with rituals and myths. The study of these elements remains a timely issue because it unveils the possibility of archetypal engagement. However, it is often overlooked that rituals and myths are fundamentally the two possible exegeses of the symbol. In this work, I propose a new perspective to study these features in RPGs by drawing ideas from philosophy and departing from the concept of RPGs as symbolic devices. Here, a symbol is understood both as an archetypal figure and as a special type of object characterized by its autonomy, synthetic power, and tautegoricity, i.e., the identity between meaning and being. Under this perspective, I revisit RPG ritual aspects, such as the magic circle, liminality, and collective immersion. A particular advantage of the symbolic standpoint is that we can integrate these elements into a broader scope, as philosophy reveals a deep kinship between symbols, art, and organisms, areas that otherwise would seem unrelated. Thus, RPGs cannot be merely reduced to either rituals or myths. Instead, they constitute a perfect combination (undifferentiated balance) of mythic narrative and ritual interpretation, organic and autonomous objects we create to connect ourselves to our cultural roots. This proposal aims to develop a complementary theoretical approach that paves the way in the current understanding of how RPG players interact with the archetypal domain, not only in the psychic, social, and cultural realms but also in the religious and metaphysical ones. Also, to explore RPGs as apt tools that profoundly transform our subjectivities and re-enchant our worlds with new mythologies.
Bio:
Miguel Angel Bastarrachea Magnani is Assistant Professor in the Physics Department at the Metropolitan Autonomous University-Iztapalapa (UAM-I) in Mexico City. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He has been a postdoctoral fellow in Mexico, Germany, and Denmark. His interests lie in several fields such as Quantum Physics, German Idealism, philosophy of myth, and RPG studies. He is the current President of the Role-Playing Studies Researcher Network (RIJR), based in Mexico City. Also, he is the author of the Mexican TTRPG The Maze, nominated for two Ennies in 2021.
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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).