Emplacing experience

Abstract

We propose that understandings of the role of space and place in everyday life are of value to designing the environment of Role Playing Games (RPGs). We compare aspects of space and place in spatial experiences while moving through terrains in physical and gameworlds. We describe innovative methods to capture egocentric experience in the physical world and themes that emerged in the data that inspired consideration of gameworlds. We speculate on the opportunities in gameworlds for interaction with the environment and others that can strategically shape player behaviour and, simultaneously, maintain players’ agency in the emergent and ongoing authorship of place. Our perspective draws on a dialogical approach to understand the many factors influencing the meaning associated with a place. We are intrigued by potential relationships between players’ pragmatic, fictive stabilisation of place and aspects of concepts of self and identity.