Worldbuilding in Online Roleplay

This Masters project investigates world-building in the context of online roleplay (rp), a form of text-based, collaborative storytelling that is distinct from other (more frequently studied) forms of roleplaying. This project aims to examine the practice of online rp, with a particular focus on worldbuilding for interactive narrative media. Semi-structured interviews are carried out with a number of current or past participants in online roleplay. Alongside a literature and precedent review, these interviews contribute to the development of a speculative model of worldbuilding in online rp as an interactive medium. These lessons are then applied to the design and presentation of an interactive encyclopaedia of a fictional world to be used by participants in an ongoing online rp project, as well as making their collaborative creation available to outside audiences.