Wally DM

How Are You Doing?

I’ve covered a portion of this topic with a previous article talking about social anxiety. I want to take time to address how Role-playing can be used to help anyone in many different ways.

Everyone is dealing with varying degrees of worry or concerns. Therapists even use RP as a safe way to face delicate subjects. I know the running joke that a DM is just an unpaid therapist but let’s try not to overload the DM with personal baggage.

Experience Versus Trauma

I’ve played in many games and have also DMed many games so because of that I have seen how people’s character have been shaped by their experiences making RP a kind of mirror. Newer players almost always “play as they are the character.” This isn’t a bad thing but it’s something new players need to be mindful of.

That brings me to the next point of how to use your experiences to shape your character’s background or driving forces. You can use your base values as a starting point to decide how your character responds to a situation. As this is a game it’s OK to respond a bit differently than you would normally. This helps make the character unique and separates the player from the character.

Opposite Day

Now you’re probably asking what this has to do with mental health? Well as the above example is mirroring yourself in the game. That is perfectly normal but now let’s move on to having a character that acts opposite of how you would normally do so.

Again you are not doing anything you are uncomfortable with but this gets you out of your normal way of thinking. This allows you to view the world differently. This is a common thing in psychology to help someone to get out of a possible thought loop. This can be a healthy process to help someone get away from mundane life for a time.

Don’t Overload Your DM

Unless you talk with your DM and they are ok with being an armchair therapist, do try to not unload any of your troubles on them. DMs already have a lot to do so please don’t overload them with heavy personal stuff.

RPing can help people to improve their moods and there’s many times where these games have helped me during dark times. These games can help us connect to others and maybe we learn a little bit about ourselves along the way.

Conclusion

RPing can do many wonderful things but you have to be mindful of everyone present. Yes the game can help you in many ways but don’t ruin the fun for others.

Take some time to talk about how RP has helped you during a dark or rough time. You can always leave a comment here or I WallyDM’s discord.