We’re back this week with the next in the series of blog posts addressing why we use tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons in our social skills groups.  Catch up here.

When we get new members of our groups, there is always a honeymoon period where the players are very excited about the format of their new social skills group.  Teens and adolescents love that they get to come play Dungeons and Dragons with us.  And for the first few sessions, they have a blast.  It’s an open fantasy world full of possibilities and they they are playing a powerful hero. What could be better than that?

Then the honeymoon ends, the players get frustrated by the restrictions of the game, and we have to tell them (and their parents) that this is a natural part of learning the game…

…and that we are doing it intentionally.

Adam and I have spoken around the country about the benefits of tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. At our PAX South panel, we outlined four reasons we use tabletop games in our social skills groups in the Seattle area. We recently came across this TEDx talk by Ethan Gilsdorf, author of the book Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks, about his personal experience with the game and some other ways tabletop role-playing games benefit all who play.

In addition to giving a great summary of what a tabletop role-playing game actually looks like, Ethan highlights an impressive list of important benefits given by tabletop games: Collaboration, teamwork, preparedness, innovation, problem solving, resilience, character building, moral choice, empathy, tolerance, and of course imagination… just to name a few.