Mediatization of the tabletop role-playing game discourse: the essence and prospects

The subject of the research is the mediatization of the tabletop role-playing game (TRPG) discourse and its peculiarities. As a process of media integration into various spheres of public life, mediatization affects many areas, including the entertainment industry. It is interesting to trace the process of the game's release in the media based on the example of the tabletop role-playing game community. The purpose of the study is to examine the process of mediatization of game discourse with the subsequent representation of this type of discourse in the media space. In the course of the research, the boundaries of the terms "mediatization" and "game discourse" are established, the specificity of the latter is determined by classification in the terminology system of V.I. Karasik. Through the use of comparative and descriptive analysis, as well as a number of mathematical methods, the bi-directional mutual influence of media and gaming discourse is noted, and the duality of development trends and individual game forms’ popularization within tabletop role-playing games is highlighted. The novelty of the study is due to the chosen subject: the backstage subculture of role players, the relative closeness and smallness of their community, the claim to belong to underground culture, as well as the tendency to isolation through using gaming slang explain the lack of knowledge of the NRI phenomenon at the present stage. As a result, the scientific value of the phenomenon under study is established and the prospect of further research in the field of media culture and gaming practices is determined. On the one hand, gaming discourse forms the space of modern entertainment media discourse, on the other hand, it goes beyond virtual platforms, and its vocabulary and imagery system become part of the cultural life of young people. An important conclusion is that the mediatization of TRPG demonstrates the ability of any media message to reach a new level, acquiring the status of a figurative media narrative.