Tabletop role-playing games, like Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, Warhammer 40K and RuneQuest, are growing in popularity, connecting people via storytelling and interactive gaming. Board game cafes can be found in many cities. And board game clubs on campus, like the one at the State University of New York at Albany, are providing students with ways to get out of their rooms and step into familiar gaming territory.
Offering students some sort of tabletop gaming experience can be a familiar connecting point for some who are struggling with loneliness and social isolation. For others, it can open a whole new world.
The D&D Appeal
D&D is booming after over 50 years in existence, according to Business Insider, attracting over 50 million players worldwide. In addition to in-person games, D&D encourages people to participate in streamed Discord and Twitch chats as a means of connection.
The hit show “Stranger Things” helped bring D&D back into the conversation, the publication explained. “It was such a phenomenon,” one player told Business Insider. “It broke a lot of stigmas by just placing it into the zeitgeist and making it seem fun and acceptable.”
D&D welcomes a wide range of people, reported the publication. While game owner Wizards of the Coast said about 60% of players are male, the demographics are shifting.
The Positive Impact on Mental Health
Research, such as a recent study from the University College Cork in Ireland, shows the benefits of this type of tabletop play, such as…
- Improved creativity
- Offering social support
- Helping to process stress
- Providing escapism
- Improving problem-solving skills
- Encouraging self-exploration
- Building confidence in making decisions
One player told Business Insider that playing D&D brought “a vibrant inner life back into focus.”
Source: Business Insider, 3/23/25
For more initiatives like this that you can put into action, check out our NEW Addressing Student Loneliness and Isolation on Campus guide.
