Lindsay Meaning, English PhD student studying game adaptations of literary texts and settler colonialism and imperial ideologies in single player Role-Playing Games (RPGs), presented at the Popular Culture Association (PCA) 2019 National Conference, April 17-20.
Meaning presented a paper entitled "The procedural necessity of thematic reversal in video game adaptations of Tolkien’s legendarium" in the Tolkien Studies panel. She also presented at the round table "Tolkien Studies 7: The Future of Tolkien Studies Roundtable".
Meaning's Tolkien research argued that the mechanics common in the RPG genre necessitate a thematic shift, or even a complete reversal, in game adaptations of Tolkien's legendarium; this shift occurs at the procedural level and is reflected in the narrative of these games.