‘A safe haven’: how Dungeons & Dragons is slaying social anxiety

The world’s most successful role-playing game could provide a home amid the chaos for those struggling with post-lockdown angst

As pandemic restrictions lift across Australia and more face-to-face activities resume, socialising can be a source of profound anxiety for many people. But what if, when you met up with others, you don’t have to be yourself? If decision-making is done through a character you create and consequences determined by the roll of dice?

Since its inception in the mid-1970s, the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) has brought together a far more diverse array of players than its stereotypes suggest. Earlier this year, the game’s publisher, Wizards of the Coast, released a report showing that, of its estimated 50 million players, 54% were younger than 30 and 40% identified as female. What it didn’t reveal was the rise in visibility of queer and neurodiverse players.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3FOHV0e
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