While there are several books about how to create and manage TTRPGs, this book goes beyond that into the minds of the players themselves. It's quite timely for anyone who wants to understand the appeal of these games, how they differ from video games, and how they intersect with player identities.

Katryna Starks, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

This study provides insight into how fantasy role-playing gamers construct and then negotiate what it means to be a “good gamer.” Shay's focus on players' construction of moral identities highlights that roleplaying and gaming do not occur only within a fantasy realm or a “magic circle” that is separated from everyday life but rather is finely integrated with it.

J. Patrick Williams, Nanyang Technological University

Identity Building among Role-Playing Gamers: Slaying Goblins in the Real World is a compelling sociological analysis of tabletop role-playing games, exploring how players construct moral identities, engage in collaborative creativity, and experience risk in fictional worlds. Based upon rigorous research and rich ethnographic detail, this book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of gaming as a social practice. It is essential reading for scholars of gaming, identity, and subcultures.

Garry Crawford, University of Salford; author of Video Games as Culture: Considering the Role and Importance of Video Games in Contemporary Society