Roll for initiative : role playing & playing a role â queer representations in D&D
department or school: Arts, Faculty of
department or school: Theatre and Film, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: McIntyre, Kayla
issued: 2025-10-02T18:43:28Z
issued: 2025
related degree: Master of Arts - MA
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: At its core, Dungeons and Dragons immerses players in a dual reality. Led by a storytelling Dungeon Master (DM), players toggle between the immediate reality of the gameplay and the fictional narrative setting of the gameâs campaign. Each player creates a character through which to navigate the fictional narrative setting. For many, character creation offers a means to imagine and assemble a collection of traits that go far beyond what is permissible outside the fictional world. Working from a theatre and performance studies perspective, I explore the contours of these traits and the details of the costumes, properties, and other theatrical elements that shape the characters. More specifically, I focus on how these traits and choices connect with minoritarian gender and sexual identities outside the game. I first consider a recent play and performance, both of which feature D&D and explorations of queer identity: Qui Nguyenâs 2011 play, She Kills Monsters (SKM); and DNDQ Liveâs touring (2021-present) production of Dungeons and Drag Queens (DNDQ). Both examples feature D&D gameplay in which themes of gender and sexual identity are central to their young adult charactersâ identities. Grounded in the theories of Judith Butler, Jose Esteban Muñoz and Bo Ruberg, I highlight key themes and actions in these plays that suggest how D&D gaming can foster positive expressions of queer identity. In chapter three, I share data from voluntary research interviews I conducted with self-identified queer, young adult (18-30) D&D players. In these interviews I asked questions aimed at understanding the interviewees lived experiences with D&D gaming, including game performance and in-scene choices, particularly in light of consciously expressed gender and sexual identity. Using Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarkeâs 2022 reflexive thematic analysis, I coded and analyzed the data to identify themes describing how players understand and navigate the dual realities at play within the game …
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/92482
note: ROLL FOR INITIATIVE: ROLE PLAYING & PLAYING A ROLEâ QUEER REPRESENTATIONS IN D&D by Kayla McIntyre B.A., The University of British Columbia, 2023 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Theatre) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) September 2025 © Kayla McIntyre, 2025 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the thesis entitled: Roll for Initiative: Role Playing & Playing a Role- Queer Representations in D&D submitted by Kayla McIntyre in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Theatre Examining Committee: Dr. Kirsty Johnston, Professor & Department Head, Theatre Studies, UBC Co-supervisor Dr. Julia Henderson, Assistant Professor, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, UBC Co-supervisor Dr. Siyuan Liu, Professor, Theatre Studies, UBC Additional Examiner iii Abstract At its core, Dungeons and Dragons immerses players in a dual reality. Led by a storytelling Dungeon Master (DM), players toggle between the immediate reality of the gameplay and the fictional narrative setting of the gameâs campaign. Each player creates a character through which to navigate the fictional narrative setting. For many, character creation offers a means to imagine and assemble a collection of traits that go far beyond what is permissible outside the fictional world. Working from a theatre and performance studies perspective, I explore the contours of these traits and the details of the costumes, properties, and other theatrical elements that shape the characters. More specifically, I focus on how these traits and choices connect with minoritarian gender and sexual identities outside the game. I first consider a recent play and performance, both of which feature D&D and explorations of queer identity: Qui Nguyenâs 2011 play, She Kills Mo…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2025-11
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0450303
language: eng
degree discipline: Theatre
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Johnston, Kirsty, 1971-
contributor: Henderson, Julia
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/92482