In “Defeating Dragons and Demons: Consumers’ Perspectives on Mental Health Recovery in Role-Playing Games” by Causo & Quinlan, the authors explore how tabletop RPGs—specifically Dungeons & Dragons—can play a meaningful role in mental-health recovery.
Through in-depth interviews with Australian players who identified as in recovery, they found five key themes: taking on a character identity, skill building, using the game as a safe space, engaging with mental-health challenges through play, and building social connections.
The study shows that many players felt the game gave them a break from rumination and symptoms, let them rehearse coping skills via their character’s choices, and helped them reconnect or build friendships when other parts of life were isolating.
For example, one player said that even on a “down” day they could still show up to the game table and feel part of something.
The authors also tie these findings to established recovery models, noting that the stages of recovery—moratorium, awareness, preparation, rebuilding, growth—were reflected in how players used their game experience to change.
Of course, the study is small (13 participants) and not a silver-bullet fix, but it highlights how an imaginative, social game environment can be more than just fun—it can support agency, identity restructuring, and connection in the journey of recovery.
For facilitators or support workers, it’s a reminder that roleplaying games might be a valuable adjunct to mental-health support, especially when turned into a purposeful, inclusive space.
link to paper: Defeating dragons and demons: consumers’ perspectives on mental health recovery in role-playing game