Not Actual Play: Examples of Play and Expectations of Experience in TTRPGs

This article explores TTRPG play examples as forms of mediated play. TTRPG makers have long provided instructions on how to (role)play in the form of scripted vignettes of game sessions. More recently prospective players have been guided towards “Actual Play” podcasts or video series. Drawing on a range of Actual Plays in both printed and audio- visual formats, as well as player comments and discussions, this article reflects on the ways that such representations of role-playing imply or construct gameplay norms, and how these norms shape player expectations and experiences. Grounded in perspectives drawn from film and media studies, it pays particular attention to the form of mediation in each case, seeking to understand how different presentations of play afford different interpretations of what role-playing is and might be, and the implications of this for the present and future of this game form.