Survey Says TTRPGs Bring Mental Health, Romance, and Friendship

In a survey of 1,000 TTRPG players in the US, StartPlaying, a tabletop gaming matchup service for professional GMs, found that mental health, romance, and friendships featured highly in the social roles that such games help to facilitate.

With 76% of players saying that TTRPGs have helped them process trauma, 28% indicating that they developed attractions with other players outside the game itself, and 75% crediting games with maintaining their real-life friendships, it seems that roleplaying games have functions beyond those of mere entertainment.

34% of gamers said they had played in a campaign organised for mental health, and the majority find gaming stress-relieving. Indeed, 44% said they played games to relieve stress, 41% said that they did so for mental health support, and 31% to process trauma or for emotional growth (there was, presumably, large overlap between those categories, which is why they add up to more than 100%).

Interestingly, the number of people who met close friends through TTRPGs has been increasing over the decades, with those categorised by the study as 'Boomers' answering that 65% of them made close friends via their hobby, while 78% of 'Gen Z' respondents said the same. Only 5% of people said that RPGs did not help maintain friendships at all.

And when it comes to romance, 44% of respondents dated or are dating (one assumes that includes marriages) somebody they met through gaming.

Of course, this is only a study of TTRPGs, and doesn't necessarily indicate anything special about gaming. We don't know if rock climbers, dog walkers, book clubs, or musicians make more or fewer friends than gamers, or date each other more or less than gamers. It could be that any shared activity has the same effects. Similarly, we don't know if yoga or swimming are more or less helpful when processing trauma than TTRPGs are. Absent that sort of information it's hard to put this study into any kind of context. However, it does present food for thought.

You can check out the full survey results here.

 

[Morrus]

I hear what people are saying about any hobby being potentially beneficial. I think TTRPGs have a more unusual benefit of being a cooperative game where you support your fellow players and all work together towards a common goal. I feel that would give it an edge over purely competitive hobbies like cards, pool, or similar.

And the long term continuity that a campaign can provide must also help it deliver slightly more benefits. In other pastimes you might not feel especially ‘on it’ one night, decide to skip and then fall into being a non-participant. The shared commitment that a campaign implies probably gives a percentage of people the little nudge needed to keep turning up, session on session.

Small percentages, but we all know those stats add up when you roll many dice.

It’s not a binary choice between solitary hobbies and TTRPGs, though. Lots of hobbies are cooperative. Rock climbing, scuba diving, team sports, amateur theatre, rock bands, the list goes on. And, arguably, with higher stakes, many of these might form even stronger bonds.

 

[dragoner]

I am waiting!

 

[CleverNickName]

I've been playing tabletop games for almost four decades, with dozens of friends and family members over the years. Twice, I've had someone casually mention how gaming saved their life.

Spoiler: CW: suicidal thoughts, abuse

One of my closest friends had struggled with loneliness and depression for most of his life. After a particularly good gaming session, he stayed late to help me clean up and that's when he told me that he was really happy that he had found this hobby and our group of friends. He explained that he had decided to commit suicide over the summer if he still hadn't made any friends by the end of the school year, but now that idea sounded silly and strange to him.

Another friend of mine was struggling with some really dark stuff at home--stuff she couldn't talk about directly lest her parents find out and punish her. But she was able to talk about it through her D&D character, and we were able to get her the help she needed to escape that terrible situation. She talks candidly about it now, saying "I'd probably not survived high school" if not for her gaming group.

Games are super important.

 

[MGibster]

I’m one of those people who never dated within my immediate circle of friends. That means no gamers. I’ve always dated outside of the people regularly in orbit. I stopped dating altogether when I got married.

 

[Leatherhead]

Well I'm not beating the allegations. I met my wife during a D&D game.

 

[Reynard]

Count me among those that believe that while all "social hobbies" are likely good, TTRPGs are special because they ask is to share our fantasies with one another. As such, they are inherently more intimate than bowling or cribbage.

That, of course, has a potentially problematic side, too. Rejection from.any social activity an hurt, but it will hurt more when you bared your soul first.