A new study published in the International Journal of Role-playing reveals that academics are successfully using “stealth design” to embed social theories into commercially published Dungeons & Dragons adventures. By hiding Marxist and Fanonian critiques of colonialism within the familiar tropes of fantasy roleplaying games, researchers from Maynooth University have demonstrated that players can be prompted toward a “critical awakening” without ever knowing they were part of a social experiment.
The research, led by Brian McKenzie, Bret Zawilski, and James Beirne, utilised an adventure written under a pseudonym and accepted by a commercial publisher. The goal was to achieve what educator Paolo Freire called “conscientization”, the process by which individuals in situations of oppression develop a critical consciousness of their reality. Rather than creating a niche “serious game,” the team targeted the “hegemonic” Dungeons & Dragons market to ensure their message reached a mass audience.
The “Stealth” Methodology
The researchers employed a strategy of “obfuscation” and “distancing” to bypass player resistance to political messaging. By using the established tropes of a Dungeons & Dragons game, they created an arena where players could experiment with identities and encounter sensitive topics through a fictional lens.
The adventure featured a village designed to subvert the concept of “civilised” society, instead depicting it as a place of “servile dependence”. It also introduced a main faction based on European mythological creatures who were being manipulated by religious impostors. This setup allowed the authors to critique religious fundamentalism and the “heroic liberator” trope common in roleplaying games.
Does it Work? The Results from the Table
The study provides empirical evidence that the “stealth” approach successfully transmitted the authors’ intent to the players. During playtests at the Maynooth University Games Society, players made direct comparisons between the game’s factions and real-world colonial history.
Brian McKenzie, Associate Professor at Maynooth University, said in the report,
This research indicates that commercial publication of critical game design… has the potential to reach a significant audience.”
One player from Spain noted that the treatment of the NPC faction reminded them of “how the Spanish treated Latin America in colonisation”. Others compared the religious fundamentalism of the NPCs to contemporary political movements, noting that “they’re crutching on their religion as an excuse to cause harm to others”.
The Limits of the Vanguard
Despite the successful “conscientization,” the researchers identified a fundamental friction between radical theory and Dungeons & Dragons mechanics. The game’s reliance on a “small vanguard of outsiders” who use violence to solve problems is more “Blanquist” than it is Freireian.
The study concludes that while Dungeons & Dragons is an incredible site for theoretical experimentation, the typical “heroic” structure risks neglecting the long-term community solidarity required for true social transformation.
Photo by Carlos Felipe Ramírez Mesa on Unsplash
