Group play: determining factors on the gaming experience in multiplayer role-playing games

Role-playing games (RPGs) are a well-known game form, existing in a number of formats, including tabletop,
live action, and various digital forms. Despite their popularity, empirical studies of these games are relatively
rare. In particular there have been few examinations of the effects of the various formats used by RPGs on the
gaming experience. This article presents the results of an empirical study, examining how multi-player tabletop
RPGs are affected as they are ported to the digital medium. Issues examined include the use of disposition
assessments to predict play experience, the effect of group dynamics, the influence of the fictional game
characters and the comparative play experience between the two formats. The results indicate that group
dynamics and the relationship between the players and their digital characters, are integral to the quality of the
gaming experience in multiplayer RPGs, with the first being of greater importance to digital games and the
latter to the tabletop version.