Tabletop Roleplaying Games ( TTRPGs ) as a Source of Belonging and Wellbeing: A Social Identity Perspective

Vollständiger Abstract

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ABSTRACT Our group memberships form the basis of our social identities and act as a source of wellbeing. Group membership is therefore a frontline defence to combat the growing global prevalence of loneliness. However, the efficacy of a group depends on whether it is beneficial to health and subjectively meaningful to its members. Tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) may provide a medium to form meaningful groups that positively influence wellbeing to otherwise hard‐to‐reach or marginalised communities. In this vein, we recruited 305 participants from the online Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) community to investigate the impact of D&D groups on participants' social networks and wellbeing. D&D groups were rated as highly positive, supportive, and socially compatible, with significant associations with wellbeing and self‐esteem. As the first TTRPG study applying a social identity lens, our findings speak to TTRPG groups as a source of social connection associated with a broad range of psychological benefits.