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Takuma Okada5 years ago(+8)

If a game involves other people I'd most likely say yes! The improvisational aspect of RPGs is definitely part of it too. These both come down to uncertainty: we don't have a script written out, and we can't know what other people are thinking, and both of those things combined can go badly. 

Single-player games though are a gray area. I think usually content warnings would be enough, but if something unexpected comes up in say a video game a pause/eject button would be good. At least in solo TTRPGs you can walk away when you need to. 

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Questing Beast5 years ago

Would you say a game like Chess requires safety tools? What would those look like?

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Levi Kornelsen5 years ago(+5)

"Shake hands before the match" and other courtesies ARE (very mild) safety tools, framing and grounding the game in good conduct.

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Questing Beast5 years ago(+1)

Sure, that makes sense. Also, since games like chess are explicitly competitive, where one player is trying to mentally dominate the other, the players would presumably already know what they were getting into.

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Takuma Okada5 years ago (1 edit) (+3)

I did in fact write a story game that uses chess and has safety tools! But yeah in general people have an understanding of what chess is, and what the pieces do, and what the outcome is. People know what happens in a chess game before they start playing, even if that's approximate. There's very little uncertainty in content, and then of course chess doesn't necessarily come with narrative, although it very easily can. 

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Nested Games5 years ago(+6)

In addition to what others said, while chess doesn't have many built in safety tools, the rules of chess venues (such as tournaments) do function as those tools. For example there are rules about personal conduct, noise levels in playing area, and designated people to speak with if you have an issue (usually arbiters or tournament directors). All of these rules, while not perfect, ideally serve the function of making the playing space safer for the participants.

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Janie Jaffe5 years ago

I think 'sportsmanship', whether implicit in a competitive game's culture or explicit in its rules, is another safety tool too, in that its supposed to draw lines and set boundaries on conduct and ensure everyone is comfortable while participating! Safety tools are not unique to tabletop games, its just down to what language we apply :)

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JDCorley5 years ago

There is a code of ethics that's been promulgated by the USCF but there is actually a LOT of problems with questionable/borderline behavior at chess tournaments. It was hotly discussed when I was running tournaments back in the 1990s, and I don't know that it's resolved.

For example, here's International Master Jeremy Silman reminiscing about "odd behavior" he has experienced at the chess table. Ultimately his only response is that if it crosses a line you should report it to the arbiter or tournament director. But we all know that without clear lines pre-drawn, leaving it to the judgment of someone often just permits the standard old discriminatory lines to be drawn.  So actually I think chess is a good example of a competitive game that is really digging around trying to find some way to address the safety and comfort of participants. 

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