In Kirstyn’s case, the game provided an outlet and safe space for her to explore her nascent sexual expression:
This is the first place in my psyche I explored, a strange choice for a chubby, low-self-esteem racked, barely-been-kissed, 17-year-old, gothic virgin, with a history of sexual abuse to go. I was slowly coming into my own but truly had no feeling of myself. I had always been a very sensual, if not sexual, creature. Some might say that I was obsessed with being desired, and I would often sit in front of my mirror when no one was home and act out various seductions in my head. Doing this in real life had always seemed folly… With Saffir though I could be as sexually open as I pleased with … relatively few consequences and judgments made by my peer group. They would see me as an actress.
ZA The Functions of Role-Playing Games: How Participants Create Community Sarah Lynne Bowman
