I am a huge fan of role-playing games. I love everything about them, from playing them to running them, investigating how they work and the kinds of play that they can produce. I have a side project as a role-playing game publisher, although my ambitions to date have been quite modest.
Anyway! One of the things I like most about them is the opportunity they give people to pretend to be someone else. You’re no longer a mild-mannered skills trainer, you’re a warrior-wizard with strange powers and a thirst for revenge! For a few hours you can step back from the real world and be someone else, somewhere else.
An element of role-playing could be really useful before the viva too. A mock viva is a kind of role-play, but there are other opportunities.
- Imagine you’re an examiner. How do you read a thesis? What questions would come to mind?
- Imagine you’re your supervisor. What advice would help a researcher? What could you do to help?
- Imagine you’re one of your friends. Do you know what a viva is? What questions do you have for your friend? How can you help?
- Imagine you’re you in the viva. How is it going? How are you feeling?
- Imagine you’ve succeeded. How did you do it? What helped you pass the viva?
Some people act when they role-play; others just think and imagine. Try it out for yourself. Reflect on what questions or ideas come up, and see how they can help you be ready for the viva.
