GM Screen: The Didactic Potential of RPGs (original) (raw)

2024, #eduRPG. Rollenspiel als Methode der Bildung

As with any educational modality, no guarantees can be made about efficacy and consistency across student populations. Therefore, when we discuss didactics and RPGs, we refer to their potential. Because RPGs are a form of experiential learning, within which players interact with each other in shared co-creativity, our experience and research indicates that their didactic potential is heightened, particularly along specific cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions (Bowman 2014). Additionally, because RPGs are multimodal, meaning they have multiple methods of engagement operating at the same time, students have the possibility to train several skills and practice working with multiple bases of knowledge at once. Notably, this strength of RPGs can also be considered a weakness depending on the context. RPGs are often far more chaotic than typical classroom activities, as each student is granted more agency to make meaningful choices than is usually permitted in educational settings. Sometimes, teachers may feel out of control or ill-equipped to handle this comparatively chaotic energy (Larsson 2004, p. 247; Harder 2007, p. 234; Hyltoft 2010, p. 51). Additionally, RPGs’ multimodal nature often means that students are engaging in multiple activities at the same time, with their associated thought processes and emotional reactions. Thus, a challenge for educational RPG designers and facilitators is in finding ways to make sure the activity centers upon the specific learning objective and/or curricular goals. Additionally, educators should be aware of some of the central concepts in both role-playing theory and in didactics in order to make informed choices in the classroom. This chapter will explain some of the key concepts in these areas, applying them to learning situations involving RPGs.