Aesthetic Conflict in the Musical Role-Playing Game Runic Soundscapes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33063/ijrp.vi19.1251Abstract
Abstract: This essay discusses the concept of aesthetic conflict in the musical role-playing game-piece Runic Soundscapes. A general discussion of the concept of aesthetic conflict and its significance in avoiding larger cultural conflicts through the active resistance to creating aesthetically uniform idiocultures (Fine 1983) is followed by a general overview of aesthetic
conflict in the fields of role-playing games and in improvised music. The field of improvised music and its ludological aspects are summarized for those unfamiliar with the field, and the advantages of studying aesthetic conflict in purely aesthetic musical situations are addressed. A brief description of the rules of Runic Soundscapes leads to an analysis of the specific aesthetic
conflicts it presents. Finally, the essay concludes by encouraging role-playing game designers to incorporate aesthetic conflict to prevent the development of closed, inflexible idiocultures.
Keywords: aesthetic conflict, agent-author, role-playing games, idiocultures, game-pieces, collaborative creativity,
musical improvisation
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