Seattle researchers find Dungeons & Dragons is good for kids!

As you can tell by my blog, I’m a nerd, and I play Dungeons & Dragons. I think it’s a great game for all ages. But it has not been without its historical controversy. D&D developed a bad reputation during the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. It uses the word “dungeon.” It has witches and warlocks, and involves spell-casting. It must be encouraging demon worship and satanism!

Obviously that’s not true. D&D is a fun multiplayer Tabletop Role-Playing Game (TTRPG) that gets your creative juices flowing. But now a study by Seattle-based research organization foundry10 has shown something even better — Dungeons & Dragons can help kids build social-emotional skills!

Frankly I could have told you that, but it’s nice to know there’s research to back it up.

According to the report, through the use of D&D, youth “practiced the SEL [social and emotional learning] skills of regulation, collaboration, planning, perspective-taking, and pretend play by taking on different group roles, learning from conflicts that arose, and working together as a team.” Skills we could all certainly use. It also found that D&D and other similar TTRPGs “provide a safe and controlled environment for youth to practice key SEL skills, allowing them to make mistakes without serious repercussions.”

And did I forget to mention — it’s fun!

foundry10 report