Beyond Lawful Good & Evil: Ethical Concepts in RPGs
Summary:
How do you build a character with staunch ethical principles without stopping a game dead with the dreaded my-character-wouldn't-do-that issue? Do RPG systems imply ethical philosophies? Should they?
Description:
How do you build a character with staunch ethical principles without stopping a game dead with the dreaded my-character-wouldn't-do-that problem? Do RPG systems imply ethical philosophies? Should they? Caleb Stokes (No Soul Left Behind), Ross Payton (Base Raiders, Andreas Walters (Baby Bestiary), and Shoshana Kessock (Living Game Conference) discuss ethical concepts in characters, in game worlds, and at the level of design. Bring your questions and curiosity.
Fun is obviously a byproduct of games, but that's where the usefulness of the term ends. We'll present the case against fun as a design goal, method of criticism, & aesthetic in gaming.
Description:
Fun is obviously a byproduct of games, but that's where the usefulness of the term ends. This seminar presents the case against fun as a design goal, method of criticism, and aesthetic in gaming. Caleb Stokes (No Soul Left Behind/No Security) and Ross Payton (Base Raiders/ Zombies of the World) discuss the negative and positive uses of the word of fun in gaming, along with other critical frameworks by which the word can be understood (such as the 8 types of fun).
What advice can educators provide for teaching game rules to players? How about using games to enhance education? And what about the portrayal of education in games? This panel covers it all & more.
Description:
What advice can educators provide for teaching game rules to players? How about using games to enhance education? And what about the portrayal of education in games? This panel covers it all and more. Caleb Stokes is an educator and RPG writer. He frequently uses games in the classroom for a variety of purposes, and he recently worked with Arc Dream to publish No Soul Left Behind, a campaign book for the game Better Angels set in a charter high school. Ross Payton has written extensively for Monsters and Other Childish Things, and he's been teaching rules to players for twenty years. Steve Radabaugh is a high school teacher and creator of app games like Dungeon Marauders and the upcoming dice game Fey Ball. Come ask questions about how to include education in your game setting, or find out which games and game design principles work great in the classroom.