Antero Garcia, Dungeons & Dragons in an Era of Terror, Nationalism, and Gamergate. Considering today's complex interactive media landscape, the role of tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons may seem insignificant. However, still growing a player base more than forty years after their inception, tabletop roleplaying games remain relevant in a largely digital world. Based on more than two years of ethnographic data with tabletop gaming communities, this talk explores how the roots of tabletop gaming foster collaboration, learning, and player agency. Further, through dialogue and historical analysis, this research considers how non-digital forms of interactive media are enacted in an era fueled by online vitriol, nationalism, and gamergate.

Antero Garcia is an Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Prior to completing his Ph.D., Antero was an English teacher at a public high school in South Central Los Angeles. Antero is currently exploring the learning and civic practices of tabletop gaming communities that play games like Dungeons & Dragons. Antero’s research has appeared in numerous journals including The Harvard Educational Review, Teachers College Record, and Reading and Writing Quarterly.