Playing in Trelis Weyr: Investigating Collaborative Practices in a Dragons of Pern Role-Play-Game Forum

Abstract

This descriptive case study examined adolescents\u27 and emerging adults\u27 literate and social practices within the context of a role-play-game (RPG) forum, investigating the ways participants read and collaboratively composed within this space. As a researcher, I was interested in how this space functioned and how the interactions between members impacted their composing processes, with particular attention to the role of online spaces and popular culture in adolescents\u27 motivation to engage in this forum. This study was guided by three research questions: (1) In what ways is Trelis Weyr, an RPG forum, organized as a virtual environment?; (2) In what ways, and for what purposes, do adolescents and emerging adults (ages 14-24) engage in literate and social practices as they read and collaboratively compose within Trelis Weyr?; (3) What are the factors that motivate participants to enter and persist at play in Trelis Weyr? Findings provide a nuanced understanding of how an RPG forum offers a range of multimodal, inter-textual, and hybrid reading and writing opportunities