This handbook, for the first time, collects the state of research on role-playing games across disciplines, cultures, and media in a single, accessible volume. Collaboratively authored by more than 50 key scholars, this book traces the history of the genre from wargaming precursors and tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons to the rise of live action role-play and contemporary computer RPG and MMORPG franchises like Fallout or World of Warcraft. Individual chapters survey the perspectives, concepts, and findings on role-playing games from key disciplines like performance studies, sociology, psychology, education, economics, game design, literary studies, and more. Other chapters integrate insights from role-playing game studies around broadly significant topics like transmedia worldbuilding, immersion, transgressive play, and player-character relations. Each chapter includes definitions of key terms and recommended readings to help fans, students, and scholars new to role-playing game studies find their way into this new interdisciplinary field.