A Short History of Role-Playing Games

People have likely played games for as long as humanity has existed. Whether it’s games of chance, games of strategy, games of skill—or likely a little bit of each—we’re always up for a little friendly competition. But what about games of imagination? Though relatively new when compared to the vast history of activities like chess, backgammon, or cards, role-playing games (RPGs) offer a unique intersection of performance, play, and creativity that has made them increasingly popular ever since they first emerged in the 20th century.

In the six lectures of A Short History of Role-Playing Games, gaming consultant and avid gamer Jamin Warren will take you on a whirlwind tour of role-playing games, tracing a fascinating story of community-building, technical innovation, and, occasionally, cultural backlash. While Dungeons & Dragons is perhaps the best-known RPG of the last few decades, it is only one of a vast repository of games that range from dice-rolling tabletop adventures to cutting-edge digital games and live-action formats. As you trace the history and development of RPGs, you’ll see why these experiences that fuse storytelling, theater, and gameplay have developed an immense fanbase while having a significant impact on pop culture, especially in television and film.

From its roots in Noh drama of Japan to the rise of tabletop gaming communities in the 1970s and 80s to massively multiplayer online games like World of Warcraft, role-playing games have become both a genre and an industry. Whether you’re interested in playing RPGs or just fascinated by their sudden pop-culture presence, this course is the perfect introduction to the ever-expanding realm of role-playing games.

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More inclusive then I thought

As a teenager in the late 80's and early 90's I played several tabletop roleplaying games and thought I was part of a newer and revolutionary idea. I learned a lot about the history of rolepplaying that I never realized it existed. While that kind of gaming is newer in history of man kind, roleplaying itself is much older......(spoiler) you know acting. This story covers that interesting fact long with many more I interesting in the developement and continuing evolution of a game system that has been so present in the vast majority of my life.

Concise and interesting

A short and sweet dialogue on how we got from Chess to World of Warcraft. I enjoyed it on my way to and from work.

Topical

Interesting background on something my kids have made a main part of our family game nights.

A brief history on RPS

Fun and interesting, from the starts in performers to D&D and the future course of the platforms.

Unmerited criticism

On the positive side, 5 of the 6 lectures are mostly balanced descriptive of the past, present and future of RPGs. In this, the author's enthusiasm and expertise shines through of the game genre as he explores the evolution from pen-paper to MMOs.
However, in the 5th lecture the author switches into a normative mode seeking to build on progressive tropes, having already praised Satre and Berecht, and hand-wringing about the genre's supposed sexism and racist past. He mirrors academic fads by finding RPG links to Tolkien as problematic given what the author percieves as the lack of diversity in the Lord of the Rings.

Overall, given it is free and one can skip lecture 5, a tentative recommendation.