D&D, Once The Subject Of Moral Panic, Found Therapeutic In Autism Cases In Study

Regular readers here will know we are no strangers to talking about Dungeons & Dragons or moral panics. Those two topics are often interrelated, given the moral panic history of the tabletop game itself, as well as how it should inform us in our reaction to more modern moral panics. After all, where once some of the public believed that allowing their children to play D&D would turn them into violent, Satan-worshipping death-zombies, that is precisely what the view of video games has been more recently. With D&D, the moral panic wave crested long ago, receding away to the modern acceptance, nay rising popularity of the game. Along with that have come studies showing that playing games like D&D are good for young writers, or have applications in therapy for children. And just like with D&D, we’re now finally starting to see the same view taken with video games, serving as treatment for conditions like ADHD, or to treat PTSD.

We should expect those new positive applications for video games to continue to be developed, as evidenced by how studies for how to use D&D in therapy are still coming out. In this specific case, a small study was done with those living with autism, who played through a weeks long campaign together and were interviewed about their experiences afterwards.

Over the last decade or so, researchers have turned their focus more heavily to the ways in which D&D and other TRPGs can help people with autism form healthy social connections, in part because the gaming environment offers clear rules around social interactions. According to the authors of a new paper published in the journal Autism, D&D helped boost players’ confidence with autism, giving them a strong sense of kinship or belonging, among other benefits.

“There are many myths and misconceptions about autism, with some of the biggest suggesting that those with it aren’t socially motivated, or don’t have any imagination,” said co-author Gray Atherton, a psychologist at the University of Plymouth. “Dungeons & Dragons goes against all that, centering around working together in a team, all of which takes place in a completely imaginary environment. Those taking part in our study saw the game as a breath of fresh air, a chance to take on a different persona and share experiences outside of an often challenging reality. That sense of escapism made them feel incredibly comfortable, and many of them said they were now trying to apply aspects of it in their daily lives.”

Once you get past the concern about children turning into goat-worshipping hell-beings, this is almost so obvious as to be silly. Conditions like autism, which can often carry with it social anxiety or social confusion, are just about perfectly suited therapeutically with a game like D&D. Why? Because the interactions within the game, social in nature though they may be, are far more prescriptive than in everyday life. There are expectations within the game as to how those interactions ought to go, which are helpfully often defined on paper. That way we’re not relying on unwritten social norms that some people with some conditions find confusing or difficult to act upon. And, because this is all one giant game of make believe, social interactions that don’t go well are in some ways disassociated from the player, with the consequences for them instead falling on the player’s fictional character.

TPRGs like D&D can serve as a social lubricant for autistic players, according to a year-long study published earlier this year co-authored by Atherton, because there is less uncertainty around how to behave in-game—unlike the plethora of unwritten social rules that make navigating social settings so anxiety-inducing. Such games immerse players in a fantastical world where they create their characters with unique backstories, strengths, and weaknesses and cooperate with others to complete campaigns. 

Participants spoke repeatedly about the positive benefits they received from playing D&D, providing a friendly environment that helped them relax about social pressures. “When you’re interacting with people over D&D, you’re more likely to understand what’s going on,” one participant said in their study interview. “That’s because the method you’ll use to interact is written out. You can see what you’re meant to do. There’s an actual sort of reference sheet for some social interactions.” That, in turn, helped foster a sense of belonging and kinship with their fellow players.

And don’t doubt for a moment that some of what is learned and practiced in these game sessions can either be brought into real world interactions or, at least, create a more comfortable posture for those with autism to give those interactions a try.

But the real lesson here is that when the moral panic begins, we ought to cast very narrow eyes at it. On the other side of that panic might just be something very beneficial.