2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Building Character: How Dungeons and Dragons Players Transition into Roleplay, Relationships, and Identity

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-24-2026

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Aiden VanderStouwe

Abstract

Through storytelling and character interaction Dungeons and Dragons players have been able to express themselves in a fantasy world with few boundaries. This study aims to show how Dungeons and Dragons players do this while maintaining their own identity. This ethnographic research was conducted through participant observation and group interview over the course of two months in a local Dungeons and Dragons group. The field site was both online through Discord voice chat as well as in person at a player’s home. Through analysis of in-game role-play and conversation among group members, this study aims to fill the gap in research conducted in table-top role-playing games to include how natural conversation and in character conversation is enacted in the beginning of a session. The research reveals how conversation transitions between in-character and out-of-character speech during the game and how players reference their own identities during the role-play and casual conversation. This research will help expand the knowledge of how communication takes place in both table-top and role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons.

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