Description

Book Synopsis
How the early Dungeons & Dragons community grappled with the nature of role-playing games, theorizing a new game genre.

When Dungeon & Dragons made its debut in the mid-1970s, followed shortly thereafter by other, similar tabletop games, it sparked a renaissance in game design and critical thinking about games. D&D is now popularly considered to be the first role-playing game. But in the original rules, the term role-playing is nowhere to be found; D&D was marketed as a war game. In The Elusive Shift, Jon Peterson describes how players and scholars in the D&D community began to apply the term to D&D and similar games--and by doing so, established a new genre of games.

The Elusive Shift

    Product form

    £32.00

    Includes FREE delivery

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Sat 15 Aug 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Jon Peterson

    Out of stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of The Elusive Shift by Jon Peterson

      Publisher: MIT Press Ltd
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 29/03/2022
      ISBN13: 9780262544900, 978-0262544900
      ISBN10: 0262544903
      Also in:
      Hobbies, quizzes and games

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      How the early Dungeons & Dragons community grappled with the nature of role-playing games, theorizing a new game genre.

      When Dungeon & Dragons made its debut in the mid-1970s, followed shortly thereafter by other, similar tabletop games, it sparked a renaissance in game design and critical thinking about games. D&D is now popularly considered to be the first role-playing game. But in the original rules, the term role-playing is nowhere to be found; D&D was marketed as a war game. In The Elusive Shift, Jon Peterson describes how players and scholars in the D&D community began to apply the term to D&D and similar games--and by doing so, established a new genre of games.

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account