In game studies, meaningful play is commonly discussed and situated through Salen and Zimmerman’s (2004) definition describing it as the integrated and discernible relationship between player actions and system outcomes within the context of the game. However, this overlooks other ways that play can be meaningful. Based on observation and interviews with 20 Australian players, this article examines experiences with death in the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). In the context of meaningful play (Salen & Zimmerman, 2004) and positive negative experiences (Hopeametsä, 2008), we discuss (1) the impact of shared physical and social realities on death in D&D, (2) the design of death in D&D, and (3) how death in D&D shapes the future play and lives of players. From this, we argue that play can have meaning that transcends game boundaries, subsequently proposing the concept of “pivotal play” to describe appealing, memorable, and transformative play experiences.

在游戏研究中，有意义的游戏通常通过Salen和Zimmerman（2004）的定义进行讨论和定位，将其描述为游戏环境中玩家行为与系统结果之间的整合且可辨别的关系。但是，这忽略了其他发挥作用的方式。根据对20位澳大利亚玩家的观察和访谈，本文考察了台式角色扮演游戏《地下城与龙》中的死亡经历。（D＆D）。在有意义的游戏（Salen＆Zimmerman，2004）和积极的消极经历（Hopeametsä，2008）的背景下，我们讨论（1）共有的物理和社会现实对D＆D中死亡的影响，（2）D＆D中死亡的设计（3）D＆D中的死亡如何影响玩家的未来游戏和生活。由此，我们认为游戏具有超越游戏边界的含义，随后提出了“关键游戏”的概念来描述吸引人，令人难忘和变革性的游戏体验。