Dungeon Theory

               Will your party hire a courier to deliver a sealed letter, use Sending , or show up on her doorstep in person? The medium we use to convey our messages is often powerfully influenced by the social expectations and networks with which we associate. Even more of concern for Caroline Haythornwaite ’s theory is the sheer number of media we use within a single interpersonal relationship. In strong relationships, we tend to use multiple (different) media forms, making those communication patterns potentially more complex . Hence, Media Multiplexity (MM) Theory. Scholarship of the cybernetic tradition believes we can map out the webs of our relationships. Relational bonds are weak if they take up little time and energy. Stronger ties take more. Your adventuring party grows stronger ties to one another as the time they spend together increases, their adventures advance in emotional intensity, they become more intimate, and act coop...

  Thinking about the little gnome wizard that I play, I can see her personal information and backstory as a kind of map that, like in “ Breath of the Wild ” has some parts labeled, filled-in, and visible also has large sections that are inaccessible, obscured, and private. Sandra Petronio focuses her theory on the ways we each manage which areas of our personal information are visible and which are invisible to others.  It’s all about privacy , what we choose to communicate to others, what happens when we opt to let others see the hidden parts of our maps, and what inevitably happens when we don’t manage our privacy well, and things go pear-shaped. Communication Privacy Management (CPM) Theory has three main parts. It is the magic number, after all. Privacy ownership establishes the boundaries of what is private and what is not.  It’s what I know about my gnome that no other PC knows; it’s the DM knowing what’s behind the next dungeon door. Privacy control is the theory’...

     Dungeons and Dragons is a game of tensions on a number of levels. First, internally, I have to make decisions about my character regarding how much she wants to disclose and how much she does disclose. I get to decide how much of a team player she is, and then roleplay accordingly. Interpersonally, there may also be tensions between players and the dungeonmaster. These interpersonal pushes and pulls exist both within the game and out. Leslie Baxter ’s theory of r elational dialectics focuses on our talk (discourse) as the fundamental building block of interpersonal relationships. For me, though, I can see the theory’s fundamental tenets operating intrapersonally, as well.  In every relationship, there are struggles . These struggles are primarily expressed through dialectics (conversations). Our joint communication activities make and remake our relationship. As I portray my character, my DM learns what she wants, what she fears, how to motivate her, what she’...

     Harken back with me to the ancient times. The year is 1990. Public communication is public. Interpersonal communication takes place in person, over the phone or via letter. Categories are distinct, clear, and seemingly immutable. Relationships are almost always begun, developed, and dissolved face-to-face. Certainly nothing will shake that firm theoretical foundation in our understanding of how humans make meaning with one another. Then: Internet 2.0, pocket-sized computers we still call “phones”, swiping right, and algorithm-powered personalized news feeds.  Joseph Walther ’s theory was initially developed to help us understand how we process information communicated online to shape and develop our social worlds. Contrary to initial skepticism, SIP asserts that not only can we form satisfying relationships online, but that sometimes those relationships are comparatively more satisfying than our in-person relationships. All the conversation; none of the halitos...