So
what has this study shown me? First it
showed me that the negative stigma associated with gaming might be overcome
through participation. Both of the
non-gamers that were introduced to role-playing games came with pre-conceived
notions about role-playing games that were negative in nature. Once they had become part of the sub-culture,
even if only for a short period, they had thrown out the bulk of their negative
preconceptions and replaced them with a much more positive view. This being said, they both held in reserve a
small portion of what they had initially believed, stating that they could see
role-playing games becoming bad if someone were to take it too far and lose
themselves in it.
Second
I learned that experienced gamers tend to respond to questions about their
community in a similar fashion, no matter where they come from. The two people I interviewed locally
responded to questions with nearly the same answers as people living on the
other side of the country. While each
specific group has its own style, there seems to be an underlying set of
feelings regarding role-playing and role-playing gamers. What the reason for this might be I do not
know.
The
final thing I learned through the course of this study is that it is generally
agreed by gamers and non-gamers alike that the group dynamic and the
relationships formed through gaming have the strongest appeal. It is through these relationships that
gamers seem to draw the most value and it could be that when the group dynamic
does not work you begin to see issues raised by the detractors of role-playing
games come out. The research seems to
indicate that the individuals who have been associated with gaming and
consequent negative behavior have suffered from issues before they started
gaming, but is it possible that through better inclusion into group dynamic
that some of these problems can be overcome?
Additional
study in this area from a sociological standpoint is certainly necessary in
order to better understand the way individuals are included or excluded from
groups within the sub-culture. There is
also a greater need to see what sort of impact the role-playing gamer
subculture has had on society at large and how the negative stigma associated
with gaming can be reduced or eliminated.