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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DMZ2112" data-source="post: 7631428" data-attributes="member: 78752">1. Set appropriate expectations.  100% focus is unattainable for the vast majority of groups.  Aim for playing three out of every four minutes of a session.  If you can do better than that, you're in good shape.  If you're falling way under that mark, then worry about making changes.  Pro session streaming has really inflated dungeon master expectations of what is possible at your average table, and even for the biggest streams, the jokes and 'downtime' are still a big part of why folks tune in (and what makes roleplaying fun!).  I recommend watching some streams that don't have name recognition -- I think you will see more realistic play dynamics.  2. At your age it is hard to pick and choose your players, but one lesson it took me far too long to learn is that you don't have to roleplay with your friends and you don't have to be friends with your fellow roleplayers.  Friendship is a great reason to game, but it is also an inefficient one.  If high player focus is important to you, the best way to get it is with players who don't socialize outside the game.  Conversely, if you want to play with your friends, be prepared to sacrifice for it.3. Consider carefully what it is that is bothering you about the distraction at the table.  Do your players seem bored?  That is bad, and requires fixing (and is probably the subject of an entirely separate thread).  But if your players seem to be having a good time -- just without you -- consider taking a deep breath, acknowledging that they would not be coming to your sessions if they weren't interested in what you have to offer, and considering that investment increases over time.  Be patient and stay relaxed.  Focus on running a good game.  Player attention spans will improve.4. Involve the PCs in what is going on.  Strive to learn about what is important to your players and their characters and weave it into your story.  It's a lot harder to get distracted when the dungeon master is making eye contact, addressing your character personally, and asking potentially threatening questions.5. Be circumspect about getting medieval.  I find that banning electronics or other distractions from the table works for some groups and not others, and needs a delicate hand.  I've had players spend whole sessions daydreaming and wasting everyone's time who have never pulled their phone out once during a game, and I've had players who play Nintendo through whole sessions and somehow still maintain a clear grasp of what is going on and always have an action ready on their turn.  The game goes on.  The most relevant point, I think, is that digital play aids have become a way of life for a lot of players, and I've seen groups turn ugly over dungeon master mandates like this.  I used to run a game on Sunday afternoon, and got tired of the constant banter about football scores.  I put my foot down, hard, and now I don't run a game on Sunday afternoon.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />  The game didn't fall apart because the players demanded the right to discuss football -- it fell apart because too many of them depended on their laptops for their sourcebooks, character sheets, and even die rolling.  They did not want to play my way, and that was it for us.If you have players whom you know are abusing the presence of their gadgets to surf the Internet during the game, make the time outside of the session to ask them why and if they'd mind stopping out of respect for the group, but be prepared to be flexible.</blockquote>

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