Gaming the Systems: A Component Analysis Framework for the Classroom Use of RPGs

The paper "Gaming the Systems: A Component Analysis Framework for the Classroom Use of RPGs" argues that the effectiveness of role-playing games in education has been difficult to measure because both "RPG" and "learning" are too broad as terms. To address this, the authors propose two tools: a schema describing the structural components of RPGs within educational contexts, and a conceptual matrix that links specific learning objectives, such as content knowledge, social-emotional skills, executive functioning, math fluency, and reading comprehension, to particular game elements that can support them. The framework organizes game features into material, structural, and contextual categories, and draws on prior scholarship from Fine, Klabbers, and Mariais, Michau, and Pernin to define RPGs as collaborative storytelling games with an imaginary world, power structure, and player-embodied characters.

The authors position the matrix as a practical aid for teachers who want to select an existing RPG or design their own to target particular skills. Examples include Dungeons & Dragons for turn-taking and a collaborative game for shared problem solving. The matrix pairs desired outcomes with rule examples, material supports, and contextual questions about students' background knowledge, experience, and classroom norms.

The paper is explicitly theoretical and has not been empirically tested. The authors acknowledge that some of the valuable outcomes of play cannot be predicted in advance and that the framework does not address pre-game or post-game debriefing, which they refer readers to other sources for. Future work is planned to have educators apply the matrix in real classrooms and to revise it based on their feedback, with possible extension to therapeutic settings. The authors conclude that RPGs can help students build integrated skill sets suited to modern work and learning demands.