Role-Playing Games of Japan Transcultural Dynamics and Orderings

This book engages non-digital role-playing games—such as table-top RPGs and live-action role-plays—in and from Japan, to sketch their possibilities and fluidities in a global context. Currently, non-digital RPGs are experiencing a second boom worldwide and are increasingly gaining scholarly attention for their inter-media relations. This study concentrates on Japan, but does not emphasise unique Japanese characteristics, as the practice of embodying an RPG character is always contingently realised. The purpose is to trace the transcultural entanglements of RPG practices by mapping four arenas of conflict: the tension between reality and fiction; stereotypes of escapism; mediation across national borders; and the role of scholars in the making of role-playing game practices.

         

1. Introduction – Before Play.- 2. Games – Playing with Borders of Reality, or the First Act.- 3. Stereotypes – The Agency of Labels, or the Second Act.- 4. Mediation – Counterpoints of Dis/Connection, or the Third Act.- 5. After Play – Knowledge (and) Practices.

Björn-Ole Kamm teaches and researches in Transcultural Studies at Kyoto University. His previous research engaged stereotypes and media use in Japanese society. Currently, he explores live-action role-play in Japanese educational contexts.