The Six Cultures of Gaming

[el-remmen]

I thought folks might be interested in this well-written article explaining a taxonomy for different kinds of RPG play both contemporaneous and historically. I found it fascinating, even if I might quibble with a detail or two, and realize that most players probably straddle these different categories, it is useful lens, I think - a point of self-reflection on what a person wants/expects from a game.

Six Cultures of Play

A blog about roleplaying games and theory focused on Mythras, Dungeons and Dragons, and OSR games.

retiredadventurer.blogspot.com

I never visited this site before. Just happened on a link to it, but the writer's style is up my alley, clear but rigorous. Will definitely check out more.

 

[TwoSix]

That was an excellent blog post. Thanks for sharing. Describing "neotrad" as its own separate play style, focused on empowering player goals but still DM-driven, and informed by streaming, is rather eye-opening.

 

[Manbearcat]

Agreed.

Really fantastic blog post.

I think I'm agreed across the board except for "Storygaming." I think the blog author would have been better served using "Story Now" instead in his taxonomy. He captures much of the central ideas, but riding right alongside coherence around premise/dramatic need is the "Play to Find Out" priority. That is absolutely fundamental and right there as a/the core tenet from Baker's Dogs in the Vineyward (Forge) to his post-Forge Apocalypse World. Sorcerer, My Life w/ Master, Blades in the Dark etc etc all feature this is the co-apex play priority (along with coherence around premise/dramatic need). The Forge was basically a reaction to "Story Before" gaming culture so "Story Now" is, in my mind, the most quintessential Forge offering.

 

[TwoSix]

I admit, the article won me over when it called '90s-era White Wolf games "tradder-than-trad", which is so, so true.

 

[Umbran]

I find there is a real cognitive issue when the author says, "here are the cultures of gaming" but then notes that most folks don't actually exist within any one culture.

I am pretty sure "cutlure" is really the wrong word.

 

[CleverNickName]

I find there is a real cognitive issue when the author says, "here are the cultures of gaming" but then notes that most folks don't actually exist within any one culture.

I am pretty sure "cutlure" is really the wrong word.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought this!

 

[Aldarc]

I find there is a real cognitive issue when the author says, "here are the cultures of gaming" but then notes that most folks don't actually exist within any one culture.

I am pretty sure "cutlure" is really the wrong word.

Spheres?

 

[Blue]

That's an interesting blog post. Some of the cultures listed I've never seen, either in person or online as a unified concept with a dedicated following; I wonder if there are regional differences and I have just not been exposed to them.

As others mentioned, I could quibble (I'd probably break up the last OC/Neo-trad into more than one bucket), but if you are looking at this as descriptive not prescriptive and that hobbyists make take aspects from more than one it's pretty interesting.

Either way, it's a thoughtful enumeration of elements of gamers that are often found in tandem with each other.

 

[Campbell]

Most of exist in a multitude of cultural contexts, often not fully fitting into any particular one. That does not particularly mean there is no place for discussion of various norms within various communities.

 

[Manbearcat]

Spheres?

I mean you could sub zeitgeist, play priorities, or even potato for culture and still get the thrust of the piece. It’s a well-done, extremely thoughtful, extremely accurate piece in my opinion. Even where I disagree (as above), it’s only a small corner of the whole work.

The nexus of TTRPG Zeitgeist and Play Priorities is sort of like the “is culture downstream of biology” question. Yes, of course it is. When biological creatures with primordial imperatives speciate from “culture-impossible” conditions, culture must be downstream of biology. But at some point, culture and biology becomes a feedback loop (therefore it becomes upstream and likely amplifying as well at some point).

The author deserves full marks for the research and formulation in my opinion.