Exploring the Therapeutic Power of Dungeons & Dragons and RPG-like Games for Mental Health

As a middle-aged man who recently joined a group of fellow dads on a journey on Faerûn, within the world of Forgotten Realms, I have (re)discovered that engaging in roleplaying games has a significant positive impact on my mental health, anxiety levels, and overall demeanor. 

After a few memorable game sessions over the last few weeks (I'm looking at you Godrim! 😂), I came to that realization and shared it with our Dungeon Master during a private conversation at the end of our latest session. Despite having had a rough day at work and feeling a lack of enthusiasm, once I had immersed myself in our virtual session (we play using Discord, D&D Beyond, and roll20), my worries faded away, and the fun began. As a results, I experienced a complete shift in my attitude and demeanor during that three-hour roleplaying session. I went to bed with a smile on my face. A little tired, but happy and fulfilled.

EVE Blog Banter #5: Leave what you know at the door please!

Welcome to the fifth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed here. Check out other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!

This month's topic comes to us from Mynxee of Life in Low Sec. She asks "Alts and Metagaming: Is playing two accounts who are logged in at the same time and work together (hauler/miner, explorer/combat associate, trade alts in trade hubs) a form of metagaming that is "ruining the game"?"



A very philosophical subject, we have here. Let's take a step back and understand what it is we're dealing with here. Wikipedia defines "metagaming" as a broad term usually used to define any strategy, action or method used in a game which transcends a prescribed ruleset, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game. In simple terms, using out-of-game information, or resources, to affect one's in-game decisions.

Well, well! Look what we have here. If we take the definition above literally, then I guess we're all guilty of metagaming at one point or another. Think about it, we would need to forget most of what we know about the games political intrigue at the login screen, never mind all the information that's available to us outside EVE. And then there's Singularity, which gives a lot of the players that partake in the beta testing of future features at an advantage to those who are completely unaware about it. What? You think these folks can't start to plan ahead in terms of skill queues and ship fittings and what not. Of course they do.

Now getting back to the dual accounts working together and how it affect gameplay. My simple answer is, I don't think it has any real negative impact on the game. Au contraire, the opposite might be true.

I've never done this myself. My main character, Treenara, is the focus of my gameplay. But I can certainly appreciate how much more engaging the game could be, if she had a counterpart, controlled be me, to maximize my gameplay. It allows for so much possibilities, that it's something I might consider in the near future. Wow, writing this banter has actually made me consider getting a second account. Maybe I should ask Mynxee to subsidize part of the cost of that 2nd account.

Damn, now I'm really gonna need a second monitor!


Participants:

• Epic Misadventures, This is my Alt - There are many like it but this one is mine.
• Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah, I Missed This Month's Blog Banter!
• A Mule in EvE, Meta what? Is it hurting EvE?
• Morphisat's EVE Online Blog, Me, Myself and I
• One Man And His Spaceship, Me and My Shadow
• Ombeve, Blog Banter edition 5
• Diving into PsycheDiver's Psyche, CK's Blog Banter #5: Everybody Needs Somebody
• Dense Veldspar, Blog Banter
• Ecliptic Rift, OOC: Blog Banter #5 Metagaming
• The Ralpha Dogs, Me, Myself and I
• Mad Rant, "Blog Banter - It's my party, and I'll alt if I want to...."
• EVE Chick, The Handicapper General
• The Wandering Druid of Tranquility, "...you see mate, it's a matter of leverage, savvy?..."
• New Eden Diaries, It's only a game
• Oz’s House of the Evil Dead, If You Can’t Ride Two Horses At Once, You Shouldn’t Be In The Circus
• Diving into PsycheDiver's Psyche, Everybody Needs Somebody
• CrazyKinux's Musing, Leave what you know at the door please!
• Diary of a Pod Pilot, [OOC] EVE Blog Banter #5 Metagaming
• EvE - Wotlankor, [OOC] Alts and Metagaming
• Roc's Ramblings, February Blog Banter - Meta Me
• Drunk in Space, Metagaming....so that's the name.
• X1376's Space Odyssey, Blog Banter #5: Army of One
• A merry life and a short one, EVE Blog Banter #5: Uh...
  
• Zero Kelvin, Are alts ruining the game?
• DeafPlasma's EVE Musings, Blog Banter #5: Alts & me!
• I am Keith Nielson, EVE is All About the Metagame
• Everyday EvE, Two Accounts Edition
• Blogging from inside the pod, EVE Blog Banter #5: Arletta and I
• Speed Fairy, Meet Paul
• More coming as the articles post!!

So long Gary, it's been a blast

I've just learned that Gary Gygax, Father of Dungeons & Dragons, has just past away. The gaming world owes so much to this one figure, there's no way to properly define it all - Dungeons & Dreamers will give you a hint. I spent so many hours in D&D books as a teenager, none of which would have been possible without this man.

There are two figures who stood out for me during my teenage years, and now, with Gary Gygax passage, both are gone. The other was Isaac Asimov, Father of the Three Laws of Robotics and prolific science fiction and science writer.

I'm saddened to see him go, but I know that his legacy will stay with us for years to come.

Go in peace, and fly safe dear old friend.

Dungeons & Dragon 4th Edition Teaser video

Ok, this is another one that has no relationship with EVE, but.... ...well in a way it has, it's RPG! MMORPG, get it? Anyways, enjoy!

Are you using EVE Voice?

For many of us, voice chat in MMORPGs is a must. At Phoenix Labs we've been using TeamSpeak as the de facto software choice, despite the recent release of EVE Voice. We use it mainly for important operations such as mining and hauling. It's a simple and efficient way of working together as a team, and that's the main reason why we use it.

But there is also the ability to roleplay, and in turn this creates some interesting problems. Gents playing female characters and ladies playing male characters. Now, my corp doesn't roleplay, so in a way I don't have this problem, but if they did I would have an interesting delima.

As many of you know, my avatar in EVE is female; Treenara Mazouk is a Gallente, one of the for races in EVE. When I play games I create characters of both sexes with no particular preferences - sometimes males, sometimes females. This poses an interesting problem if I were to roleplay her "and" use a voice chat software like EVE Voice. Now I really do not sound like a Treenara and hearing a 35 year male speaking as a female gallente would surely kill the mood.

Which brings me to the following article over at Terra Nova , which referred to this article over at Wired. Go ahead, take the time to read both articles before continuing here. I'll wait for you.

So if I 'was' able to alter my voice while using a voice chat software would I do it? In terms of roleplaying this would surely provide a more immersive experience, but what would the consequence be? Would I need to tell every new player character I met that I was a man playing a female avatar? Would I wait a while before telling them, until, say we had developed a roleplaying relationship and I would feel weird continuing without "coming out". Which bring me to another recent post over at Random Battle, "Wait, you're a girl?" Cameron's article is very interesting and the tests he's done are very impressive. But what are the implications of using them. With these voice altering software the roleplaying capabilities have been expanded. I'd certainly will give it a try, though as a non-roleplay corp member, the opportunities won't abound. But if were doing more roleplaying as part of my EVE experience, I would seriously consider using such a tool with EVE Voice or whichever voice chat software I'd be using.

What about you?

The recent poll I ran on EVE Voice, showed that almost half of you use a voice chat software while playing EVE. Have any of you had a chance to use these voice altering add-ons? I'd love to know if you did. Are you still using it? How was it when you tried? Did it feel weird? What was the reaction from the other players? I'd love to know.

Gaming: The Escapist #30 - Casual Friday

This Friday's Extra has two interesting articles on 'Roleplaying'. As with every 'Casual Friday' edition of The Escapist', these two article are a lot of fun to read as they take a slightly off-the-path vue of their subject.

Quest for Glory
by John WalkerEver tried to roleplay a fantasy character on main street? See how funny, and surprising, the results are!

Diseased Cur
by Joe Blancato
I can't say I agree with Joe's attitude on roleplaying, but I can appreciate his point of vue.

Gaming: The Escapist issue #30

The Escapist #30 was released yesterday. This week they cover how the gaming industry was influence, and still is, by pen-based Roleplaying Games. Makes for a great read for any of us who's ever played D&D, AD&D, MERP, Traveler. Boy does it ever bring back memories. This is one issue you definitely do not want to miss.

In Celebration of the Inner Rogue
by Mark Wallace
Is the avatar separate from you, or is it an extension of yourself?

The Contrarian: Masks in the Woods
by John Tynes
How has MMO influenced the Role-Players and is there a place for them (us) in today's MMORPG

I Enjoy Playing a Girl
by Chris Dahlen
Why? Why not play someone completely different from yourself! Also see my earlier post on the subject.

A Roleplayer in Azeroth
by Will Hindmarch
With computer based RPG, we've gained a lot in terms of the visuals, but at what cost? Is it limiting our imagination or making it boundless?

Remember the Ice Chicken
by Nova Barlow
It's a whole new experience out there!

Google Video: Fear of Girls

This is funny as hell to anyone who's played or is currently playing RPGs!! Heck I remember guys like this!

This fake documentary on RPG gamers is a must see: Fear of Girls - Google Video. The guys who made it are right on the money.

Enjoy!

[Gaming] [RPG] [DnD] [video] [Google Video] [Funny]