Rose Perkins: Dungeons and Dragons (Topic of my Own Choosing)

     One of my favorite hobbies is to play dungeons and dragons. This game is a tabletop roleplaying game that involves creating characters, going on adventures, and fighting enemies. As an actor and fantasy fan, this game very much fits into all of my interests. I also noticed that it can be related to class. One of the main goals of the game is adventuring, which is a type of journey. Fantasy journeys often do fit into the monomyth of the hero's journey. There is normally a call to adventure, a physical journey, and a return. The same is true for dungeons and dragons. Players have the ability to create their own journey with their characters within the world of the game. Furthermore, characters often have interior journeys that are created by the players, and they are transformed by the end of the campaign. 

    Within the game, information is given and decisions are made based on the roll of a dice. This can represent a fate or destiny element that presents within the game. Alternatively, it can also represent the role of an oracle or divine being giving a quest or instructions to a hero or influencing the heroes path. Both of these aspects relate to our studies within the class and to the classic journeys. Fate, oracles, or deities often come into play in the hero's journey that shows up in many myths. In this way, dungeons and dragons is similar to it. I did not make this complete connection until recently. 

    Another link that I noticed to the class is the idea of a flow state. This came up in class a couple weeks ago. In this flow state, the self can be freed and emptied, and self awareness goes away. I feel as though this idea presents itself while playing dungeons and dragons as well as in normal acting. When playing another character that is not yourself, you can sort of free yourself. You can relax and let yourself be emptied while you perform. Furthermore, when performing in a show, once you rehearse enough, the show becomes very repetitive and it becomes like muscle memory. Once you reach this point, the self can really be emptied and self-awareness goes away. Previously, I have come back into myself at the end of a show having completely been sucked into the show, not remembering what exactly happened while I was on that stage. In a way, this is letting self-awareness leave and the self be emptied, as you are not playing yourself. Alternatively, it can be coined self-expression, as you have still created the character and made it what it became. Either way, I believe it is representative of a flow state. The same goes for dungeons and dragons. Once you know how the character acts and the actions they complete, you can lose yourself and lose self-awareness while playing. 

    Due to these many reasons, dungeons and dragons relates in many ways to the topics we have been discussing in class, including the journey, the dice rolling, and the representative of the flow state. 

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