GM Screen : The Didactic Potential of RPGs

As with any educational modality, no guarantees can be made about efficacy and consistency acrossstudent populations. Therefore, when we discuss didactics and RPGs, we refer to their potential. Because RPGs are a form of experiential learning, within which players interact with each other inshared co-creativity, our experience and research indicates that their didactic potential is heightened, particularly along specific cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions (Bowman 2014). Additionally, because RPGs are multimodal, meaning they have multiple methods of engagementoperating at the same time, students have the possibility to train several skills and practice workingwith multiple bases of knowledge at once. Notably, this strength of RPGs can also be considered a weakness depending on the context. RPGs are often far more chaotic than typical classroom activities, as each student is granted moreagency to make meaningful choices than is usually permitted in educational settings. Sometimes,teachers may feel out of control or ill-equipped to handle this comparatively chaotic energy (Larsson2004, p. 247; Harder 2007, p. 234; Hyltoft 2010, p. 51). Additionally, RPGs’ multimodal nature oftenmeans that students are engaging in multiple activities at the same time, with their associated thought processes and emotional reactions. Thus, a challenge for educational RPG designers and facilitators isin finding ways to make sure the activity centers upon the specific learning objective and/or curriculargoals. Additionally, educators should be aware of some of the central concepts in both role-playing theory and in didactics in order to make informed choices in the classroom. This chapter will explain some of the key concepts in these areas, applying them to learning situations involving RPGs. ; Advance online publication. Article will be published in German as: Westborg, Josefin/ Bowman, Sarah Lynne. Das didaktische Potential von Rollenspielen. In Robertz, FJ/ Fischer, K (eds.) 2024: #eduRPG. Rollenspiel als Methode der ...