Column: Tabletop Roleplaying Games benefit positive mental health

Tabletop roleplaying games have had a massive resurgence in the past few years, becoming a popular pastime for both newer and older generations. The revitalization can most directly be accredited to the massive freedom of creation offered by the vast spectrum of unique rulesets and systems, as well as today’s modern streaming world. 

Ranging from classic fantasy settings like Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder to the massive expanses of the Star Wars universe in Star Wars: Edge Of The Empire, there is a TTRPG for everyone.  

The qualities of a TTRPG provide a way for people to connect and express themselves and their ideas. A group of mental health professionals, Geek Therapeutics, want to use those qualities to help people improve their mental health. 

Geek Therapeutics focuses on teaching mental health professionals how to use TTRPGs for treatment.  

Games to Grow, another group implementing the games in therapeutic settings, expressed that TTRPGs used for treatment can be helpful to people struggling with varying forms of mental distress and illness, especially those suffering from social difficulties and identity discovery.  

TTRPGs work in these specific areas because of the ability to experiment by altering different interactions and experiences to suit a patient’s particular needs.  

While other practices of therapy have the same results as TTRPGs, the element that separates it from the others is the main point of all games — fun.  

The goal of TTRPG therapy is to make the experience enjoyable while still providing the benefits of self-betterment.  

Spencer Ehlers, an incoming Utah State University student, has been playing TTRPGs for over five years. He said he would be interested in TTRPG therapy being available.  

Andrew Stubbs, a student at USU, is newer in the TTRPG hobby community and is part of an online game. 

“I think that D&D might have a good space in therapy because I have found out a lot more people play D&D than I thought,” Stubbs said.   

While TTRPGs are being used for therapy, it is not the only way they can benefit mental state.  

The design of many TTRPGs is to foster a close community among the players and runners of the games.  

Whether at a local game store or with a group of close friends, there is a social network of those involved. This network provides a way to make small, consistent connections that benefit mental health.  

Beyond the connections made through the game community, a solid connection to self can be made when playing TTRPGs. Direct contact with creative freedom allows players to be limited only by creative expression. Players, as well as game runners, can create scenarios and characters that reflect their own feelings and ideas in a group medium. 

While TTRPGs may not have been initially designed to look into the complexities of the human mind, it is hard to deny that they provide a unique peek behind the curtain. Ultimately, it is up to the players and game runners to foster a space for growth and discovery, but casual games are no substitute for professional help.