Graduation Term

Spring 2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Department of Psychology

Committee Chair

Eric Wesselmann

Committee Member

Brea M. Banks

Committee Member

Caitlin M. Mercier

Committee Member

Courtney Plante

Abstract

Tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) are collaborative, imaginative games in which players create and enact fictional characters within shared narrative worlds. Although research on roleplaying games has expanded in recent years, much of the empirical literature has focused on digital roleplaying games, particularly massively multiplayer online roleplaying games, leaving tabletop roleplaying comparatively understudied. I conducted a study with 173 adult TTRPG players to examine the relations among openness to experience, motivations for playing TTRPGs, and avatar identification. I also explored whether the individual facets to openness to experience predicted motivations for play and avatar identification, and whether players who had portrayed a character of a different gender than their own differed from those who had not. I hypothesized that openness to experience would significantly predict motivation for play and avatar identification. Findings indicated that openness to experience, at the broad domain level, did not significantly predict motivation for playing TTRPGs or avatar identification. However, facet-level analyses revealed several meaningful relations. Specifically, the imagination facet of openness positively predicted escape, fantasy, coping, and recreation motivations, as well as overall avatar identification and embodied presence. Additional findings showed that adventurousness, intellect, and liberalism were selectively associated with specific facets of identification. Regarding gender play, most variables did not significantly differ between groups; however, players who had portrayed a character of a different gender reported significantly higher levels of the intellect facet of openness. These findings suggest that broad personality domains may be less informative than facet-level traits when examining player motivation and character identification in TTRPG contexts. Overall, this study contributes to the growing literature on tabletop roleplaying games by highlighting the importance of imaginative personality processes in understanding why players engage with these games and how they connect with their characters.

Access Type

Dissertation-Open Access

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