[1] Role playing games come in various types and categories: The first organized critical reflection and academic research on RPGs from their inception in the mid-1970s through the 1980s focused on examining and refuting the early controversies surrounding the hobby at the time.
Arguably, the first examination of the field in clinical terms was Shared Fantasies: Role Playing Games as Social Worlds[6] by Gary Fine.
Gary Gygax, a co-originator of the hobby with Dave Arneson, published two books on his philosophy of role-playing: Role Playing Mastery: Tips, Tactics and Strategies in 1989 and Master of the Game in 1990.
[citation needed] Opposing ideological camps about the nature and function of RPGs emerged in late 1990s Scandinavia.
Designers of live action role-playing games in the Nordic LARP tradition began holding a yearly convention called the Knutepunkt that prominently featured RPG theory.