In 2024, Hasbro.com reported that Dungeons & Dragons celebrated its 50th anniversary and reached over 50 million fans worldwide. Utilizing 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 of 2024, eight schools launched the National Learning Network for Supportive Gaming 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 the director of the counseling center TCU, which was the host site of the learning network). The goal of this network is for each school to launch Support Gaming Communities (SGC), which are small groups that promote the positive benefits of TTRPGs to students. As of date, the schools are proving three important things about TTRPG’s.
TTRPGs Are Popular Among College Students
Joe LeConte is the lead trainer of the national learning network. He’s a Substance Use and Recovery Counselor/Peer Support Coordinator at TCU and is regarded as a leading expert in the use of TTRPGs in higher education. When asked why TTRPGs are so appealing to students, Joe LeConte responded, “There’s a lot of popular media including Critical Role, Dimension 20 and a bunch of television shows including Stranger Things and Community, which have really popularized role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons…”
This appeal is evident for the schools in the national learning network. Cara Guziak, a senior staff therapist and the groups & workshops 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 the first few hours to our campus-wide email!” Kristie Postorino, the Director of Counseling at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology proclaimed for the year that, “…this was the most successful, recurring group our counseling center has offered at our small school.”
TTRPGs Are Effective In Promoting Mental Health
According to Joe LeConte, TTRPGs are instrumental in promoting positive aspects of mental health. He stated, “Similar to the way an actor can inhabit a role, an TTRPG player can give themselves a break from their daily lives and take on the role of an epic hero, a powerful sorcerer, a swashbuckler or any other character they can imagine. 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 renowned psychologist for Geek Therapy who has numerous publications and presentations related to gaming, states that TTRPGs can benefit students in ways such as enhancing their social skills and teamwork, supporting identity exploration and growth, reducing stress through play and escapism, and promoting problem-solving and cognitive flexibility. Dr. Bean initially helped trained TCU staff in providing positive gaming experiences to students, and he commented, “Tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons provide a structured environment for students to collaboratively solve problems 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, the SGCs have helped students reduce loneliness and social isolation. As Kristie Postorino described for her campus, “…we have 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 overall loneliness epidemic that Surgeon General Vivek Murphy has prioritized. Offering SGCs seemed like a fun way to approach this serious concern, particularly for students who might not utilize traditional counseling center services.”
Cara Guziak echoed this sentiment for UTD, “At the Student Counseling Center, we have first-hand experience with the growing levels of isolation and loneliness in our student population. Our students are actively looking for ways to create meaningful connections in ways that single-event outreaches and individual services don’t satisfy. This concept of SGCs appealed to us as a means to facilitate that connection while remaining available as a source of support.
TTRPGs Are Enjoyable For Staff To Facilitate
Kristie Postorino summarized her enjoyment in facilitating TTRPGs for students, “All and all, this was a fantastic experience and one I will definitely incorporate annually… it was one of the most fun and rewarding experiences I have had as a clinician.” There are plans to expand the learning network to other schools next year, and Joe LeConte voiced bigger ambitions, “I believe that it can be very helpful to students, in university settings, high school settings, elementary school and even into older age such as managed living care facilities. I’m inspired by what we have done already, but I’m really inspired for the future because this idea is growing so quickly. I want to see what other people come up with.”
