| This study examined the levels of empathy, imagination, and absorption of individuals who regularly play fantasy and science fiction role playing games. The hypothesis was that higher reported levels of fantasy proneness, imagination, and empathy might exist in individuals who fantasy role play, and based on previous research such levels also might be more hypnotizable than average. Hilgard's Imaginative Involvement Hypothesis, the "fantasy prone" personality type by Wilson and Barber, and Wickramasekera's Empathic Involvement Hypothesis in the literature on hypnotizability were the basis on which we compared the results of the study with previous research. One hundred and twenty-seven individuals who self-reported as role playing gamers volunteered and completed three surveys on an internet site that specialized in psychological research. They completed the Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index (a measure of empathy), the Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS, a measure of absorption), and the Inventory for Childhood Memories & Imaginings (ICMI: fantasy proneness). The mean score on the TAS, 20.19 (n=54 below the mean, n=64 above the mean) would place the fantasy gamers in this study in the low to medium range. Overall, scores on the IRI scale of empathy demonstrated elevated scores, confirming the hypothesis. Pearson correlations were performed between the three measures, and significant correlations were found between empathy and absorption ( r = .43) and empathy and fantasy proneness (r = .29). These results confirm the hypothesis that role players have an elevated and unique, imaginative, and empathic involvement as described in previous research. This research also confirms prior research on empathy, absorption, and the empathic involvement hypothesis by Wickramasekera II in his 2002 study. |
