By Paul McClure

Playing the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with others has a positive impact on mental health, according to a new study. The researchers say that the game should be included as a therapeutic tool as part of a holistic approach to mental health.

Maybe you’ve always been a Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fan, or you got into the fantasy tabletop role-playing game after watching Stranger Things or during a COVID-19 lockdown. Regardless, if you play D&D, the odds are that you have better mental health because of it, according to a new study.

While some clinical psychologists are already using D&D in therapeutic settings, two researchers from the School of Applied Psychology at University College Cork in Ireland sought to understand how the game bolstered players’ mental health.

“This study found that D&D can bring a myriad of benefits for players,” said Dr Conor Linehan, the study’s senior author. “Although there are some clinicians and community groups that currently use role-playing games therapeutically, those groups are predominantly active in the United States. Our study suggests that a wider rolling out of such therapeutic role-playing groups may be of benefit in Ireland and across the globe, offering the great potential to support skills development, emotional exploration, problem-solving and foster meaningful social connection.”

Prior research has shown that role-playing games, or RPGs, integrate four separate phenomena: roles, play, games, and media culture. The roles – reflecting social reality or identity – and the fundamental play, a form of make-believe, provide RPGs with structure.

According to the official website, D&D “players form an adventuring party who explore fantasy worlds together as they embark on epic quests.” Each player controls their own unique character, guided by one player in a facilitator or dungeon master (DM) role. In addition to choosing their character’s class, race, and whether they’re good or evil, players are encouraged to write a backstory for them and roll dice for their strengths and weaknesses.

For the current study, the researchers recruited players from three countries. All were over 18 with at least one year’s experience playing D&D frequently, that is, weekly or bi-weekly, and still playing frequently. Ten participants aged from their early 20s to 50s were recruited: six men, two women, and two nonbinary people. They were not asked whether they had any mental health diagnoses.

Participants underwent semi-structured interviews in which they were asked how they discovered D&D, about their characters, and whether the game had impacted their lives. Participants who acted as DM were also asked about their experience of running the game. The participants’ responses were then analyzed to identify key themes.

The researchers identified five key themes and two sub-themes: escapism, self-exploration, creative expression (with a sub-theme of providing for others), social support (with a sub-theme of providing a safe space), and routine.

“Our research found that players discussed the benefits of escapism that accompanied playing D&D, and the positive impact that this had on their mental health,” said PhD researcher Orla Walsh, who led the study. “Players reported feeling a strong sense of control in-game during times when they felt they did not have control outside of the game. Whilst many hobbies may allow for creative expression, D&D uniquely allows players to collaboratively build and inhabit worlds of their creation.

“The social support nurtured by playing D&D gives players emotional and social connection and offers them a space in which they can express themselves freely,” Walsh continued. “While social support is a recognized benefit of many group activities, the collaborative storytelling aspect of D&D fosters a unique sense of camaraderie and shared experience among players.”

The study’s findings highlight the therapeutic potential of D&D, but it carries some challenges.

“For instance, while escapism can have recuperative functions, it may also serve as a form of avoidance,” said the researchers. “Furthermore, players may bring sensitive topics into the game, potentially causing discomfort or triggering negative reactions in others. To mitigate these risks, a therapeutic DM should carefully curate storyline content, and foster a supportive and inclusive environment.”

The researchers also point out that for all its benefits, D&D shouldn’t replace other forms of support and should be viewed as a complementary therapy that forms part of a holistic approach to mental health.

One limitation of the study is that participants volunteered to speak to the researchers about D&D, so it can be assumed that they were passionate about the game and more likely to have derived a positive experience from it, which may not be representative of every player. Further research is needed to explore the game’s effectiveness across diverse populations and settings.

The study was published in the International Journal of Role-Playing.

Source: University College Cork via EurekAlert!