Board and board role-playing games.
In 2024, Hasbro.com reported that Dungeons & Dragons celebrated its 50thth anniversary and reached over 50 million fans worldwide. Using D&D, as well as other tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs), is becoming a popular trend for colleges and universities to promote student mental health. In August 2024, eight schools launched the National Learning Network for Supportive Games Communities. These schools include Dallas College, Georgia Southern University, University of Texas at Dallas, University of Southern Indiana, Ringling College of Art and Design, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Texas Christian University (I serve as director of the TCU counseling center, which was the host site of the learning network). The aim of this network is for each school to launch Supportive Games Communities (SGCs), which are small groups that promote the positive benefits of TTRPGs for students. So far, schools are proving three important things about TTRPGs.
TTRPGs are popular among college students
Joe LeConte is the head coach of the National Learning Network. He is a Substance Use and Recovery Counselor/Peer Support Coordinator at TCU and is considered a leading expert on the use of TTRPGs in higher education. When asked why TTRPGs are so appealing to students, Joe LeConte replied, “There are many popular media outlets including Critical Role, Dimension 20, and a bunch of TV shows including Stranger Things and Community that have popularized it really role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons…”
This appeal is evident for schools in the national learning network. Cara Guziak, a senior staff therapist and group and workshop coordinator at UTD reported, “…the response from faculty, staff and students to our initial interest survey has been overwhelming and exciting, with more than 75 people responding within first hours in our campus-wide email!” Kristie Postorino, Director of Counseling at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, stated of the year that, “…this was the most successful and recurring group that our counseling center has offered at our small school.”
TTRPGs are effective in promoting mental health
According to Joe LeConte, TTRPGs are important in promoting positive aspects of mental health. He stated, “Similar to how an actor might inhabit a role, a TTRPG player can give himself a break from his everyday life and take on the role of an epic hero, a powerful wizard, a swashbuckler or any other character imaginable . . . I believe there is relaxation and empowerment in that imaginative exercise.”
Other experts have also found TTRPGs to be effective in this regard. Dr. Anthony Bean, a psychologist known for Geek Therapy who has published and presented extensively on gaming, says that TTRPGs can benefit students in ways such as increasing their social skills and teamwork, support of identity exploration and growth, stress reduction through play and escape. , and promoting problem solving and cognitive flexibility. Dr. Bean first helped train TCU staff in providing positive gaming experiences for students, and he commented, “Tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons provide a structured environment for students to solve problems collaboratively and build relationships. .These games encourage players to communicate effectively, negotiate and work as a team, skills that are directly transferable to their academic and social lives.
In addition to promoting positive skills, SGCs have helped students reduce loneliness and social isolation. As Kristie Postorino described her campus, “…we’ve all been aware of how difficult it can be for students to find their people/community in college, the demonstrated link between loneliness and increased psychological distress among college students and the general loneliness epidemic that Surgeon General Vivek Murphy has prioritized. Offering SGCs seemed like a fun way to approach this serious concern, especially for students who may don’t use traditional counseling center services.”
Cara Guziak echoed this sentiment for UTD, “At the Student Counseling Center, we have first-hand experience with the increasing levels of isolation and loneliness in our student population. Our students are actively seeking ways to make meaningful connections in ways that single-event outreach and individual services do not. This concept of SGCs appealed to us as a means of facilitating that connection while remaining available as a source of support.
TTRPGs are nice for staff relief
Kristie Postorino summed up her enjoyment in facilitating TTRPGs for students, “All and all, this was a fantastic experience and one that I will definitely incorporate every year…it was one of the most fun and rewarding experiences I’ve had as a clinical physician.” There are plans to expand the learning network to other schools next year, and Joe LeConte expressed greater ambitions, “I believe it can be very useful for students, in university settings, high school settings, school primary and even older like managed care facilities.I’m inspired by what we’ve already done but I’m really inspired by the future because this idea is growing so fast I want to see what other people think.”
