The fifth issue of the Japanese Journal of Analog Role-Playing Game Studies (JARPS) focuses on the fundamental themes of access and accessibility in table-top/table-talk (TRPG) and live-action (larp) role-playing games. This special issue explores the multifaceted barriers and opportunities for inclusivity, emphasizing the intersectionality of access to examine structural and experiential barriers in role-playing games. Access here refers to the right or ability to participate in gaming, regardless of identity or background, such as gender, race, or socioeconomic class. The concept of accessibility concerns the heterogeneous disability dimension of access, which intersects with the other dimensions, of course.
The contributions to this issue cover TRPGs as platforms for autistic social advocacy or how TRPGs support communication skills in afterschool programs for children with developmental disabilities. Others critique colonialist tropes in role-playing games or seek to reimagine calibration frameworks through Crip Theory, emphasizing the role of flexible pacing in TRPGs. Further contributions delve into adult education and empathy-building through inclusive game narratives or critically analyze emotional accessibility in role-playing games.
Collectively, this issue underscores the importance of moving beyond universalist notions of access and accessibility to embrace adaptive, inclusive design principles. By interrogating societal structures and biases in gaming, it invites readers to contribute to a dynamic dialogue about reshaping role-playing spaces for diverse global audiences. This issue serves as both a call to action and a springboard for future scholarship in the evolving field of analog role-playing game studies.
Cover © Gwendoline Lefebvre (Game in Lab)
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