International Journal of Role-Playing

The International Journal of Role-Playing (IJRP) is now accepting submissions for the 2nd issue, due out in early summer 2010. Deadline for submissions is February 1st, 2010.

The International Journal of Role-Playing invites researchers, designers, developers, academics, artists and others involved in the growing field of research related to role-playing to submit articles. The IJRP is a peer-reviewed journal, and welcomes submissions from any sphere of interest, knowledge network, research field or de-development sector that directly or indirectly relates to role-playing interests.

Potential topics include but are certainly not limited to the following:
•    Role-playing games, e.g. frameworks, storytelling and graphics; art, design and creative industry
•    Role-playing culture, psychology, media, economics, and sociology
•    Role-playing technology, surveys, vocabulary, training and education
•    Other aspects of role-playing and related research and development

The International Journal of Role-Playing is a biannual international journal that covers all aspects of role-playing, irrespective of the medium, platform or intent. The IJRP specifically aims to act as the focal point, for pushing the limits of role-playing knowledge, and to improve sharing of knowledge across the knowledge networks involved with role-playing- and related work, notably the industry, the academia and the arts. The journal will encourage the exchange of ideas and experiences, and will be a free, online forum where knowledge can be harvested.  In realizing that the knowledge networks involved with role-playing- and related work are based in a variety of interest spheres, which write and publish their work in different ways, the IJRP will accommodate the knowledge sharing principles of the various networks.

The International Journal of Role-Playing is an innovative, novel platform for knowledge sharing that reaches across traditional fields, and will treat submissions from academia, industry and creative forces on an equal basis through a joint publication framework, which is specifically designed to accommodate contributions from all of these diverse sources.

All submissions will be peer reviewed by three members of the multi-disciplinary editorial boards, who represent the diverse interests of the knowledge networks involved in role-playing and related work, e.g. academia, industry and the arts. All submissions will be reviewed by experts from the knowledge network of the submission, together with at least one reviewer from a different network. Through this and other initiatives, the IJRP aims to assist authors in promoting cross-network aspects of their work.

The International Journal of Role-Playing is an online publication backed up by on-demand printing. The IJRP aims to have all papers go through their initial review within three months of receipt. Manuscripts should be submitted electronically, following the instructions on the IJRP website: www.journalofroleplaying.org, which also contains important dates and deadlines.

The IJRP specifically aims at providing authors with a higher than usual degree of freedom in composing their manuscripts and expressing ideas. Consult the journal website for more information.

Please find below all articles downloadable separately in PDF format. 

Editorial

The International Journal of Role-Playing is a response to a growing need for a place where the varied and wonderful fields of role-playing research and development, covering academia, the industry and the arts, can exchange knowledge and research, form networks and communicate.

Hitchens, Michael and Anders Drachen. The Many Faces of Role-Playing Games

By examining a range of role-playing games some common features of them emerge. This results in a definition that is more successful then previous ones at identifying both what is, and what is not, a role-playing game.

Montola, Markus. The Invisible Rules of Role-Playing. The Social Framework of Role-Playing Process

This paper looks at the process of role-playing that takes place in various games. Role-play is a social activity, where three elements are always present: An imaginary game world, a power structure and personified player characters. 

Champion, Erik. Roles and Worlds in the Hybrid RPG Game of Oblivion

Single player games are now powerful enough to convey the impression of shared worlds with social presence and social agency. This paper explores a framework for defining virtual worlds. 

Pittman, Jason and Christopher Paul. Seeking Fulfillment: Comparing Role-Play In Table-top Gaming and World of Warcraft

Through ethnographic research and a survey of World of Warcraft (WoW) players, this study assess the relative fulfillment and frequency of online and offline role-playing for WoW players.

Harviainen, J. Tuomas. A Hermeneutical Approach to Role-Playing Analysis

This is an article about viewing role-playing games and role-playing game theory from a hermeneutical standpoint.  In other words, it presents one view on how a role-playing situation can be seen as a set of texts.

Download the first issue here.

Soon the articles will also be for download separately.

The International Journal of Role-Playing is a response to a growing need for a place where the varied and wonderful fields of role-playing research and -development, covering academia, the industry and the arts, can exchange knowledge and research, form networks and communicate. After two years of planning, the Editorial Board of the IJRP is pleased to present you with the first issue, containing five articles spanning the theoretical to the practical, with a general focus on role-playing games. It is our sincere hope that you will enjoy the first issue of the IJRP.

On behalf of the Editorial Board

Anders Drachen