Asteria and Neurodiversity in Role-Playing Games: Inclusion or Tokenism? -- Kevin Rebecchi скачать в хорошем качестве

Asteria and Neurodiversity in Role-Playing Games: Inclusion or Tokenism? -- Kevin Rebecchi

Full title: Kevin Rebecchi, “Asteria and Neurodiversity in Role-Playing Games: Inclusion or Tokenism? Examining Community Conflicts Over Autism Representation” This presentation was delivered on June 12, 2025 at the Transformative Play Initiative Seminar 2025: Games, Conflict, and Education. Description: The introduction of Asteria, an explicitly autistic character in Dungeons & Dragons, has ignited widespread discussions about representation, authenticity, and corporate motivations in tabletop role-playing games. This study examines the polarized reception of Asteria within online gaming communities, analyzing debates over whether her inclusion fosters meaningful representation or constitutes tokenism and virtue signaling. Using Natural Language Processing techniques, sentiment analysis, and thematic classification, this research explores how players perceive autistic representation in fantasy settings and whether Asteria’s explicit labeling enhances or constrains creative freedom. The findings reveal a spectrum of reactions, from strong support for representation to concerns over commercial exploitation and the risk of reducing autism to a narrative device. Moreover, the study considers broader implications for the depiction of alterity in speculative fiction, particularly in worlds where magic and supernatural elements may problematize or reshape understanding of neurodiversity. By situating Asteria within ongoing debates about inclusivity in gaming culture, this research contributes to discussions on the evolving role of representation in interactive storytelling. The study ultimately highlights the complexities of integrating neurodiversity into fantasy narratives while balancing corporate, community, and creative interests. Bio: Kevin Rebecchi, PhD, is researcher and lecturer in education, psychology and communication at the University of Liège, Belgium and University of Lumière Lyon 2, France. His research interests are neurodiversity, autism, creativity, video games and alternative education. He is particularly interested in the production, representation and reception of autism and neurodiversity in the media (movies, TV series, comics, games…). He has published several articles in international journals such as Popular Communication, Acta Ludologica, History of Psychiatry and Autism and Developmental Disorders. *** This hybrid outreach event was co-funded by the Erasmus+ ROCKET project; the Uppsala Forum on Democracy, Peace and Justice; and Region Gotland. The seminar is hosted by the Transformative Play Initiative in the Games & Society Lab at the Department of Game Design, Uppsala University Campus Gotland. The Transformative Play Initiative explores the use of analog role-playing games as vehicles for lasting personal and social change. See the complete program: https://gamesandsociety.speldesign.uu... Learn more about Transformative Play at Uppsala and join the TPI mailing list: https://www.speldesign.uu.se/research... Learn more about the Games & Society Lab at the Department of Game Design: https://www.speldesign.uu.se/research... Like Transformative Play Initiative on FB:   / transformativeplay   Like the Games and Society Lab on FB:   / gamesandsocietylab   Graphic Design by Liliia Chorna. Music by Elias Faltin. Video edited by Kjell Hedgard Hugaas.