THE ROLE-GAME STUDIO
"Whilst acting a person can learn how access aspects
of their individual power and then to utilise
this power in their actual life.
J. Moroz
Role playing games
Would you like to experience what it might feel like to be a knight or a magician, or do you perhaps sometimes identify with a completely different kind of role, such as one of your favourite heroes from the films or from a book? Would you at the same time like to learn to have a better understanding of yourself and those around you?
If your answer to these questions is YES,
then we invite you to
our ROLE-GAMES STUDIO
in the International Family House.
OUR VISION AND GOALS
In the Studio we facilitate role-playing games. These games or plays might seem reminiscent of the theatre; but a very unusual theatre it is, where the actors themselves decide which part they will play, and a set script doesn't exist. In fact the play s development is dependant only on what the actors themselves do. In the course of each play the participants themselves choose which role they want to play. Any role can be chosen, the main condition being that it should somehow fit in with the general idea of the particular play or game. A particular play s theme can either be defined by the participants themselves or suggested by the facilitator, who can also help to choose an appropriate role if a participant can't decide himself. The theme of a play or game is generally of an adventurous nature. Whether it will be similar to a detective story, a thriller or a soap opera however, depends on the particular actions and roles you choose to play. The actions and responses of the participants are expressed verbally, just as would be the case in a normal theatre or during psychological training. The surrounding world and its response to your actions is commented upon by the facilitator. He does not take part in the play himself; rather he observes it s general development. The number of participants in the play, though not fixed, is usually 2 - 7 persons plus the facilitator. The duration of any particular play is usually 4 - 6 sessions.
At the end of each play we try to establish what the participants themselves wanted both from the play or game itself as well as from the individual roles they played, and what they managed to accomplish.
INTERESTING ASPECTS OF ROLE-PLAYING GAMES
It has often been remarked by psychologists that if someone habitually loses out in certain situations, then this situation can, with awareness, help to increase one s self-knowledge. All of us in our lives play certain social roles, and we all therefore are expected to behave in an appropriate manner. In any company one can find a Leader, a Clown, and many other roles being enacted. The choice of concrete roles and models of behaviour is defined by the type of education one has received, the conditions prevailing in our lives, the society surrounding us, and finally, our personal preferences. There is probably no "ideal model of behaviour", through which one could achieve one s goals all of the time, but it should be interesting for anyone to increase his self-knowledge and to understand his good points and weaknesses, or even to change his model of behaviour in a particular situation. Our role games can help you in this. In fact when we play a role we can always observe ourselves from the outside: who I am in everyday life? Why I have chosen this role? What would I like to change in myself and to what extent? Such questions develop habits of introspection in the individual, which lead to an understanding of the reasons for one s actions as well as their possible future consequences, leading to a better understanding of oneself and those around you. As a consequence it helps the person to make the right decision when solving diverse types of problems. It is perhaps especially important when the person has not made up his mind in a vital life-choice or when one s life's role hasn't been defined, as for example with teenagers.
Role-playing games require just a small number of players, who must agree beforehand to cooperate with each other, to do their best to communicate, and to be considerate towards each other. If these parameters are met role games offer excellent opportunities for the development of communication skills within a group, the ability to arrive at an understanding of other s points of views and to arrive at mutually acceptable decisions. (This aspect is stressed in training role-games and leads to an improvement in the work of employees.)
As a general rule, when a specific problem which the participants face cannot be resolved by the efforts of one individual player alone or even by a part of group, then the participation of everybody, irrespective of their differences is required. This principal holds no matter how different the people are and how various are the roles they have chosen. Accordingly, it is necessary for participants to learn mutual self-respect and to find a common language, whilst at the same time not losing sight of their own individual truths.
In this respect role games are of great importance for teenagers in their development of life-skills and the ability to function in any society or group (for example, in a class); the skills to be able to communicate with people with whom they come into contact irrespective of who they are.
THE ORIGIN OF ROLE-PLAYING GAMES - How this all started
Role-playing games were first applied methodically in the psychological professions, where they were used in a lot of research and training schemes. They were subsequently adapted for a wider audience and their applications became quite popular in the USA and Europe. The themes were mostly in the realms of adventure or fantasy. This type of pursuit is still new in our country, and the themes explored are not restricted to those categories. We are inviting you to participate in this fascinating occupation.
BIOGRAPHY
My name is Evgenie Lopatin and I was born in 1980. After finishing school I studied in Moscow Medical School 13. I then worked one of Moscow s surgical centres. For a couple of years subsequent to 1998 I studied at the Historical Faculty of the Moscow Regional University (formerly the Krupskoy Institute of Education, as I love History and I also like working with children. Between 2003 and 2004 I worked in a fairly average comprehensive school in the Moscow area as a teacher of history, sociology and politics. Although I work as a manager at present I don t want to give up teaching entirely. That s why I facilitate role-playing games for children and young people in the International Family House. I first became interested in this in an amateur way in 1998, but as I became more involved I decided to take it up professionally.
HOW TO FIND US
Role-playing games for children and young people are conducted in the International Family House, 18 Sudostroitelnaya Street, Apartment 2 - which is five minutes on foot from the Kolomenskaya Metro Station.
REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPANTS
You must be between 14 and 18 and have a desire to participate in role-playing games.
TIME
At the end of October Role-playing games will be conducted once a week at the weekend, and the approximate duration of a session will be from 2 to 3 hours including a short break.
CONTACTS
For any comments, questions of provisional booking to join the group please
email:
tsurugu1@yandex.ru
Sincerely yours
Evgenie Lopatin
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