Role-playing games in arts, research and education

Games are increasingly being used as tools to broaden pedagogical options in schools and create interdisciplinary linkages. This article pays particular attention to role-playing games (RPGs), and the applications they have for arts education. RPGs can be used in art classrooms and in arts-based research and as an exciting and useful form of collaborative art-making, interpersonal discourse and reflection. This article is divided into sections describing the games and the manner in which it has been applied to arts education. Interspersed within the article are reflections from the author’s experience in a game that examines the politics of oppression called the The Tribunal, which resulted in introspection on both personal and societal issues. The article concludes that RPGs can help make both personal and communal meaning of experiences and foster the development of empathy.