Folk Expression and Meaning in DnD

The above image is of a character sheet, an important element of game play used by DnD players to document every detail about their character- their race, class, health, skills, language, actions, inventory, and backstory. Websites such as dndbeyond.com allow players to create their character sheets and store them virtually for access throughout the game.

DnD is only one of many roleplaying games, and by examining others we are able to understand some of the motivations for DnD players, as well as how they use their characters, groups, and gameplay to shape identity and find meaning. Williams, Kennedy, and Moore (2011) conducted a study in which they examined online role playing groups and some of the ethnographic contexts of players. They distinguish between the type of game "role play", and the style of playing "role play", or RP- RP playing is when a player acts out, or role plays their character, rather than just playing the game without trying to depict their character or putting much thought into their backstory. Williams, Kennedy, and Moore (2011) begin their study with the understanding that not every player chooses to participate in RP within a roleplaying game. In fact, a minority of players do- the researchers sought to understand why some players participate in RP and why some don't, and if there are social motivations or factors that correspond with a desire to act out a character. 

For those engaging in the practice, there are two potential, not mutually exclusive explanations. One is that the players are RP to fulfill some need they have prior to play, such as a creative outlet or escape from boredom or circumstance. The other is a converse possibility of RP: some people may be playing a role in their off-line lives and online RP lets them be more of who they truly ‘‘are.’’ (Williams, Kennedy, and Moore 2011, 174)

Williams, Kennedy, and Moore (2011) find that immersion and social interaction are key motivators for players to participate in RP (188).  They found that there is an element of escapism in the practice of RP, as characters allow themselves to "be" someone else while socializing within the context of their DnD world and game. Other players commented on the social aspect of developing and role playing their character and history with other players, in community (189). In another study, Iantorno and Consalvo (2023) draw similar conclusions. Also studying fantasy role-playing games, they analyze the relationship between social standing (including race, class, gender, etc.) and character types and races (such as orcs, elves, and dwarves). They make an interesting point about the origins of DnD in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and the use of fantasy race to represent and reflect racial and social distinction. 

While Dungeons and Dragons’ serves as a boilerplate for statistical representations of fantasy races, Tolkien is the key originator of the racial logics that dominate the fantasy genre at-large. As Helen Young has discussed at length, in Tolkien’s writings “race and all that stems from it is fundamentally a matter of biological descent and is a strong predictor, even if it does not always entirely determine an individual character’s physical, mental, and moral capacities, as well as culture” (Iantorno and Consalvo 2023, 8). 

Through their study, Iantorno and Consalvo (2023) eventually conclude that race and class in both real life and the fantasy worlds that exists in roleplaying games are heavily intertwined, and the relationship between them exist weather players and developers realize it or not. They provide the example that "Orcs (and half-orcs), who have long been entangled with Asian and African cultures through warrior-race stereotypes (Hodes, 2019; Loconte, 2016), are consistently presented as strong but unintelligent, and rarely granted noble or wealthy backgrounds" (Iantorno and Consalvo 2023, 20). This is an important consideration for identity development and expression within DnD. As players chose to what degree they wish to act out their character, they still form some sort of attachment to their characters and their group as they work together through one or multiple campaings to meet their goal(s). The lore associated with DnD such as fantasy race and class as well as the popular origins of DnD folklore in Tolkien's LOTR heavily influence the culture within DnD that influences how players express themselves both in character and out with other players.