Málfríður - 15.10.2012, Side 21

can move up or down . Should the character manage
to do something particularly laudable a possible move
up in morality can occur; likewise, if a character does
something less commendable a lowering is possible .
WoD traditionally has to do with playing vampires –
who usually start out relatively low in morality . These
moral issues are clearly a concern, and of interest, for
teachers using such games, all in the context of the age
of students, etc . – presenting an opportunity to tackle
ethical issues . Another obvious, but clearly important
aspect of the character sheets, as with other parts of
the games, is the vocabulary involved in describing
physical, social and mental characteristics . A possible
minimal use of RPG ideas in teaching literature is to
have students create character sheets for characters
in a piece of literature – opening their eyes to details
of character presentation which they might otherwise
have missed .
For some reason or other, Role Playing Games have
not caught on as a teaching activity to any large degree,
just as the hobby has remained relatively small . There
are some notable exceptions . In Iceland, one such excep-
tion is Terry Gunnell, who was for a number of years
a teacher of English at Hamrahlíð College, but who
is now Professor of Folkloristics at the University of
Iceland . He discusses this in an interview with Magnús
Guðni Kuwahara Magnússon1 . Gunnell exclusively
used Dungeons and Dragons and set the game play as
homework . Somehow, he seems to find the pursuit of
game play less educational than literature, he says “you
can’t just play games and get credits for that” – which I
disagree with . The course was a literature course focus-
ing on fantasy, with the game playing as part of the
curriculum . Gunnell sees the function of the games pri-
marily as a way to practice oral communication and as
a way to get the students’ imagination going . He has
a background in theatre studies and found this to be a
natural continuation of that . Another interesting point
Gunnell makes is the lack of approaches of this type in
Icelandic secondary schools, for example in the teach-
ing of Icelandic . He does not seem to have delved very
deeply into the world of RPGs himself, but left it to the
students . This approach is good in the way that it pro-
motes student autonomy, but limits a potential develop-
ment of the method . Þorsteinn Mar Hilmarsson, one of
the leading figures in Icelandic RPG and fantasy culture,
taught RPGs as an elective in Langholtsskóli, as well
as using some methods from games in his teaching of
the Icelandic Sagas . Hilmarsson has been developing a
game system based on Nordic medieval themes, and it
will be interesting to follow that when it comes out .
Brendan J. Desilets (2010) discusses the use of RPGs
for teaching writing to first language English speakers
in his article “The Student Writer Makes Magic”. Like
1 Kuwahara Magnússon is an experienced GM in various systems and
uses RPGs to teach English to Japanese students.
MÁLFRÍÐUR 21
form part of the game play, but that is not necessary .
The players need not identify in any particular way
with their heroes, they are likely to take a tactical
approach and play their character as they might a hand
of cards or a game of chess . This varies between gam-
ing groups and has very much to do with the style of
play adopted by the DM . Improvisation is encouraged
in the handbooks accompanying the game (Wyatt et al,
2010), but it is not necessary and views vary on how
common it is . That being said, DMs and players are
free to take the game in whatever direction they please
and with experience D&D varies a lot from group to
group . Role playing can enter the game as humorous
playfulness, or indeed by players assuming the voices
of their characters and adopting certain mannerisms;
achieving what is known as ‘suspension of disbelief’ .
In Iceland there is a small but active role playing
community . Dungeons and Dragons seems to be the
game most played, but there are many other systems
in play . Since my interest in the games was sparked I
have had the good fortune of cooperating with mem-
bers of Hugleikjafélagið (http://www .facebook .com/
hugleikjafelagid / http://hugleikjafelagid .wordpress .
com/), the board and members have been very active
in assisting me with my enquiries and helped to organ-
ise playing sessions for me and my fellow enthusiasts . I
also conducted a small survey where I discovered that
the majority of players in Iceland are male and have
been playing for a long time; and that although DnD
is mostly played, there is a staggering variety of other
games . I also asked for ideas on use for RPGs in edu-
cation , and I discuss some of these ideas here below .
Many of the survey respondents point out the use-
fulness of RPGs for learning English . Since most of the
games are in English this is an obvious point . RPGs
are primarily a verbal activity and it is easy to instil
the idea that the language of the game is English and
thus keep students speaking English for a long period
of time – in my experience no easy feat, with Icelandic
students at least! There are also various opportunities
for incorporating writing . However, a large number of
the participants point to the social aspect of the games,
and how they provide opportunities for opening up
for otherwise shy, and possibly awkward people . This
might be part of the explanation for the nerd label asso-
ciated with gaming – a label that some wear with pride
and which annoys others . . . . Furthermore, these expe-
rienced players point out how the games can provide
opportunities for learning over the whole spectrum of
social science, math, logic and even chemistry!
Moral issues are an interesting aspect of these
games . In D&D, morality is a matter of so-called ‘align-
ment’, where you decide beforehand what your char-
acter’s moral stance will be – so if you are good, your
actions are bound by that, and if you are evil, well… In
the World of Darkness (WoD), for example, morality is
a feature of a character represented by a scale, which