Studies Show That Dungeons & Dragons Is A Social And Healthy Game, Mom

As a society, we’ve come a long way since the days of suburban parents buying into sensationalized propaganda about Dungeons & Dragons being a Satanic cult, as well as the reason their sons are failing social studies. (The Roman Empire is dead, why should I care what an “aqueduct” is?) Still, some overprotective moms insist on living in the past, and ban their kids from playing with their friends until they can get their grades up, even though studies show that Dungeons & Dragons is a social and healthy game that actually improves my performance at school, mom.

Taking away my weekly D&D days is the wrong call, not just because it’ll hurt my chances with Becky, our halfling rogue, but also because it’ll hurt my academic experience. There’s a clear correlation between playing D&D and higher success in STEM fields, and numerous educators worldwide are deploying tabletop RPGs in their own classrooms in order to make their lessons more engaging. You don’t want to be responsible for damaging your son’s education, do you?

Dungeons & Dragons, and other narrative roleplaying games of its kind, provide many opportunities for learning,” says David Simkins, a professor at RIT and, if my research checks out, a serious hardcore gamer. “Participation in narrative roleplay can open up interests in topics such as mathematics, science, history, culture, ethics, critical reading, and media production. When D&D and its cousins are played in an inviting, encouraging, compassionate, and intellectually engaged environment, play opens the door to truly amazing possibilities for learning.” See, mom? Flirting with the sexy elves actually makes it easier for me to remember the names of Christopher Columbus’ three ships, and I don’t need to tell your their names to prove it.

Since character building can be a deeply personal process, D&D can also improve emotional health. Roleplaying through an open story in a safe environment can be a cathartic method of exploring and dealing with personal traumas and other issues, like when Dave made a villain that was just his stepdad as an orc. You’re not slick, Dave.

Come on mom, we were just about to fight the beholder at the highest tower of Greydark Castle, and my party was seriously relying on my enchantment spells for that fight. What if they TPK without me? You don’t know what TPK means? Geez mom, are you sure you’re even qualified to tell me what games I’m allowed to play?

Anyway, to answer your question, yes I will need to attend summer school this year.