Can roleplaying be considered "literature"?
One of the classes I'm taking is a combination literature/philosophy class, and for this class we have a list of questions that we're learning about and considering.
Beginning of the list . . .
1.Is it possible to tell the difference between “literature” and “not literature?” If so, how?
2.What is the nature of the “literary” experience-that is, what takes place when a reader reads “literature”?
3.Does “literature” have a moral responsibility? A social responsibility? A political responsibility? Or no responsibility at all?
4.To what extent is the nature of “literature” determined and limited by the nature of language?
5.Where does a piece of “literature” really exist? In the print on the page? In the mind of the author? In the mind of the reader? In the interaction of page, author, and reader? Somewhere else?
6.Is it possible to demonstrate that one piece of “literature” is “better” than another? If so, how? What do you mean by “better”?
The "final paper for this course will answer (in 15-20 pages) one of these questions (or a variant or combination approved by" our professor.
At first, I was going to consider the question of what "literature" should be taught in schools, as it fits in well with my other major . . . but then I came across this post, and our prof mentioned improv theatre as a possible subject for our "out of class" quiz that involves looking at "literature" outside class, and now I'm strongly considering approaching the prof about doing my own variation: Can roleplaying games be considered "literature"? What components make them into "literature" or "not literature"? Are their certain systems or styles of play more conducive to a game being considered "literature"?
Honestly, there's so many different points within the different questions I could touch on in examining role-playing as literature . . . and the prof's also rather laidback in his definition of what we have to have in the way of "research". The first day, he said a survey of twenty of your closest friends could be used as research, so it's not like I have to find the answers somewhere in a university library (though I'll have to go out and find some answers, nonetheless). I'm thinking a trip to the gaming store might be in order, too . . . I need to pick up some, er, "research materials" ^_^
Seriously, how awesome would that be . . . having an excuse to spend my "incidental book money" (for books that will help me get a good grade in class) on gaming systems so I can compare them? And playing games = studying, for real this time . . . and here I thought our Academic Writing prof was serious when she said her class was probably the last chance we'd have to write a fun/interesting paper.
Beginning of the list . . .
1.Is it possible to tell the difference between “literature” and “not literature?” If so, how?
2.What is the nature of the “literary” experience-that is, what takes place when a reader reads “literature”?
3.Does “literature” have a moral responsibility? A social responsibility? A political responsibility? Or no responsibility at all?
4.To what extent is the nature of “literature” determined and limited by the nature of language?
5.Where does a piece of “literature” really exist? In the print on the page? In the mind of the author? In the mind of the reader? In the interaction of page, author, and reader? Somewhere else?
6.Is it possible to demonstrate that one piece of “literature” is “better” than another? If so, how? What do you mean by “better”?
The "final paper for this course will answer (in 15-20 pages) one of these questions (or a variant or combination approved by" our professor.
At first, I was going to consider the question of what "literature" should be taught in schools, as it fits in well with my other major . . . but then I came across this post, and our prof mentioned improv theatre as a possible subject for our "out of class" quiz that involves looking at "literature" outside class, and now I'm strongly considering approaching the prof about doing my own variation: Can roleplaying games be considered "literature"? What components make them into "literature" or "not literature"? Are their certain systems or styles of play more conducive to a game being considered "literature"?
Honestly, there's so many different points within the different questions I could touch on in examining role-playing as literature . . . and the prof's also rather laidback in his definition of what we have to have in the way of "research". The first day, he said a survey of twenty of your closest friends could be used as research, so it's not like I have to find the answers somewhere in a university library (though I'll have to go out and find some answers, nonetheless). I'm thinking a trip to the gaming store might be in order, too . . . I need to pick up some, er, "research materials" ^_^
Seriously, how awesome would that be . . . having an excuse to spend my "incidental book money" (for books that will help me get a good grade in class) on gaming systems so I can compare them? And playing games = studying, for real this time . . . and here I thought our Academic Writing prof was serious when she said her class was probably the last chance we'd have to write a fun/interesting paper.