Can a game, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) in this case, provide more than just a night’s entertainment with friends? While I’ve never thought of D&D as anything more than a game, evidence suggests that it can be more than a game and that “. . . (role-playing) is what allows Dungeons & Dragons to be an effective therapeutic tool because it gets our brain in a state where it is primed to learn and grow and evolve in ways that we can’t do normally (2:52-3:02),” states Cade Heaton. Does D&D help us learn in uncharacteristic and unusual ways, and maybe even better ourselves in the process?

Maybe through the act of role-playing characters in these make believe fantasy worlds and adventures, we imagine and practice being our best selves, as supported by Cade Heaton who says, “While Dungeons & Dragons may simply be a game, it’s tool [SIC] as a therapeutic tool lies in its ability to simulate worlds for us to practice ourselves and practice who we want to be . . . (4:07-4:17).” I know I dream of being more heroic in my daily life and maybe playing D&D is an extension of that, more than just wish fulfillment, and a way to tap into the highest part of myself, do something good and noble, and be my best self.

Perhaps D&D is a fun game that helps me, and others, self-actualize through the experiences in the game, with its trials and tribulations, as we embark upon the hero’s journey. Cade Heaton further goes on to say that “Dungeons & Dragons is proof of the true power of storytelling, the power of our imagination, and it’s a tool that we can use to shape our minds and the world that they inhabit going forward, making D&D as therapy a powerful idea for the future (7:34-7:50).” Tap into your imagination and use it to (re)create your life for the better. If you can imagine rich, robust fantasy words, such as those provided by D&D, you can tap into the power of your imagination to make positive changes in your real life.

Works Cited:

Heaton, Cade. “Saving Your Brain with Dungeons & Dragons TedxBallStateUniversity.” YouTube, uploaded by Tedx, 23 July 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv0okhnpffo. Accessed 25 January 2022.