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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cergorach" data-source="post: 9778180" data-attributes="member: 725">While interesting, I wouldn't put too much stock in these results, it's a survey amongst a certain group of pnp RPG fans. And don't discard the influence of (American) culture either. That these results are so positive is imho unsurprising, as very few people that are so extremely concerned with 'mental health' would be quite unwilling to admit that their hobbies are adding additional unhealthy stress and pressure.Funnily enough, I was talking with a friend yesterday with whom I've been playing D&D for 35+ years. DMing for me creates stress, quite a lot actually, so much so that I tend not to sleep well the night before or after a session. Playing as player still creates stress and a bit of sleeplessness, but not as much as DMing. I compared it to preparing for a presentation at work, running a meeting, etc. It's still fun with friends, and a 'release' of some kind, but I wonder how much it actually helps in 'mental health' when you look at it clinically. We also wondered amongst ourselves how much of this stress is caused by us being introverts vs extroverts. All of us DM in rotation, and two of us stopped DMing before they expected due to it taking too much of them (both in time and mental bandwidth). I would like to add that I do like DMing and certainly some stress was added to my sessions due to me experimenting heavily with our normal D&D 'style' and not being certain if everyone would like it. It took some mental shifts from the players, but currently 2 out of 3 players is confirmed 'very excited', so that takes some of the stress off my plate.It reminds me a bit about folks and sports. But sporting is healthy! Forgetting all the injuries they've suffered from that. And especially the competitive folks that quickly go beyond what's healthy for them. It's not just the dangerous sports like boxing, MMA, or football, it's everything! The amount of torn ligaments, broken limbs, etc. is staggering. But no one wants to stop playing their favorite sport unless they're forced to (due to massive injuries)... Or asking a cocaine addict if their 'sniff' is bad for them...Personally I leave 'mental health' to the professionals that are actual experts in the field.</blockquote>

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