The Process Model of Roleplaying

1. The Process Model of Roleplaying Eetu Mäkelä, Sampo Koistinen, Mikko Siukola and Sanni Turunen

2. Design Goals of the Process Model • Identify distinct elements and components inside the act of role-playing and create a vocabulary of such concepts, and • Describe how these components interact to make or break a game.

3. Uses of the Process Model • Describe and analyze singular or typical gaming sessions from the viewpoint of an individual or a whole group, • Plan and communicate visions of future sessions and campaigns, and • Describe play preferences of an individual or a whole group.

4. The Process Model of Roleplaying • Result • A final wanted or unwanted outcome of role-playing. • Process • A distinct operational part of play, that can be associated with a distinct, measurable quality. • Method • A singular technique, rule or contract that is used or referred to in connection with the game. A constraint on or guide to how the game is played. • Circumstance • A parameter that affects the functioning of the various Processes.

5. Example of Game Analysis using the Model

6. Further Aspects of the Article not Discussed Here • Suggested normative categorizations of the Results and Processes • Examples of characterizing different playing cultures using the model • Comparisons with other models of role-playing

7. Benefits • Entertainment • Enjoyment of fun, being together and passing the time. • Learning • Gaining new knowledge or understanding, affirming or questioning old knowledge, spiritual growth and reflection. • Meaning • Enjoyment of an emotional experience, resonance with established thought constructs • Aesthetic Appreciation • Artistic appreciation, enjoyment of beauty and form. • Social Benefits • Positive changes in the social sphere arising from role-playing, the strengthening of social bonds, getting to know the other players better. • Physical Benefits • Positive changes in the physical sphere; increased fitness, improved body language, physical pleasure.

8. Processes • Competition • The pursuit of victory • Tension • Maintenance and enjoyment of tension • Challenge • The besting of challenge and the overcoming of adversity • Exploration of an Entity of the Shared Imagined Space • Exploring the many-fold interactions a single entity has with others. • Exploration of a Concept through the Shared Imagined Space • Exploring a concept through its expressions in the Shared Imagined Space, and bringing forth such expressions to be explored. • Immersion • Equating the self with an entity of the Shared Imagined Space, feeling and acting as that entity