Why People Play Table-Top Role-Playing Games: A Grounded Theory of Becoming as Motivation [OA peer-reviewed article]

Coe, Darrin F. 2017. “Why People Play Table-Top Role-Playing Games: A Grounded Theory of Becoming as Motivation.” Qualitative Report 22 (11):2844–63.

This qualitative research is based on the interviews of (n=16) TRPG players. The author used the grounded theory, a known qualitative methodology used for conducting, coding and analysing interviews. This methodology is supposed to reduce experimenter bias and pre-experiment hypothesis in order to let the data speak by themselves.
The author found out that « participants of TRPGs are motivated to begin playing because they recognize either consciously or subconsciously the opportunity to engage in a process that will help facilitate them developing their identity or their state of existence to a more idealized state, or the process of becoming. »
The author didn't found external achievements as motivators (learning something, developing a skill,...).

Figure 3: Graphical Depiction of the Theory of Becoming as Motivation