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Behavioral Sciences
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Roleplaying Games and Wellbeing
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Roleplaying Games and Wellbeing

A Special Issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X) belonging to the section "Health Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 May 2026) | Viewed by 2566

Editors

Dr. Ian S. Baker

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Psychology, University of Derby, Derby DE22 1GB, UK
Interests: roleplaying games and wellbeing; AI use in psychology and in higher education; awarding gaps in higher education; belief and its psychological purpose; parapsychology; dark personality
Prof. Dr. Ian Turner

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biomedical and Forensic Science, University of Derby, Derby DE22 1GB, UK
Interests: role playing games and skill development; game based learning; higher education pedagogy and innovative/creative practice in higher education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Roleplaying games (or RPGs) involve groups of individuals coming together (either online or in person) in a form of modern-day storytelling; the most popular of these is Dungeons and Dragons. The shared narrative is guided by the Game Master  or “Dungeon Master” (DM), players potray characters, and the outcomes of their decisions and actions are typically determined by dice rolls. This engenders a rich and immersive storytelling enviroment which cultivates creativity, shared experiences, and friendships through a form of life-long play; the popularity of which increased dramatically during the pandemic and beyond. However, there has been limited research published exploring the wellbeing benefits of playing roleplaying games, and this Special Issue aims to address this. This Special Issue focuses on the explorations of the potential benefits of playing roleplaying games, encompassing various displines and research methods. We welcome original research papers and review articles in the following areas (among others): 

  • Roleplaying games and wellbeing benefits;
  • Playing roleplaying games and identity;
  • Roleplaying games and mental health;
  • Use of RPGs to support specific groups in society;
  • RPGs and childhood development;
  • The use of roleplaying games for postive pedagogical experiences.

Dr. Ian S. Baker
Prof. Dr. Ian Turner
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • roleplaying games
  • RPGs
  • Dungeons and Dragons
  • D&D
  • wellbeing
  • lifelong play
  • play
  • storytelling

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1474 KB  
Article
“I Didn’t Realise I Knew That!” Higher Education Students’ Experiences of Incidental Learning Through OpenWorld Role-Playing Games
by Rebecca Ferriday
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(7), 1123; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16071123 - 5 Jul 2026
Viewed by 555
Abstract
OpenWorld Role-Playing Games (OWRPGs) differ from other video game genres in that they offer players vast digital landscapes and significant freedom: they can fight, use diplomacy, play stealthily, or pursue activities like farming or trading. This player autonomy creates a space rich in [...] Read more.
OpenWorld Role-Playing Games (OWRPGs) differ from other video game genres in that they offer players vast digital landscapes and significant freedom: they can fight, use diplomacy, play stealthily, or pursue activities like farming or trading. This player autonomy creates a space rich in unintended consequences, incidental learning being just one. A study of higher education (HE) students explored this phenomenon. While existing research on incidental learning in games focuses mainly on language acquisition, the current study argues that commercial OWRPGs have the same educational power as purpose-built learning games, and that the scope of incidental learning is far broader than previously examined. Using a constructivist grounded theory (CGT) approach, 25 semi-structured interviews were conducted and written gaming journals collected from 11 additional participants. All 36 participants played OWRPGs in their leisure time. The analysis identified 34 distinct forms of incidental learning, with language acquisition being just one. These were grouped into three categories: self-improvement, academic, and employability skills, with considerable overlap between each. This study shows that OWRPGs can act as a setting for incidental learning in skills over and above lexical improvement. As a result, it is suggested that future research analyse in further depth the skills this research has discovered, looks for further skills that may be honed via incidental learning, and examine other video game genres to highlight any forms of incidental learning that occur. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Roleplaying Games and Wellbeing)
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16 pages, 445 KB  
Article
D&D and You: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Young Adult Players’ Experiences Exploring Identity and Mental Health Through Dungeons and Dragons
by Zoe Thomas, Abby Dunn, Aislinn D. Gomez Bergin and Cassie M. Hazell
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(6), 1026; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16061026 - 18 Jun 2026
Viewed by 810
Abstract
Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a collaborative roleplaying game that is associated with social and emotional benefits for young adults (YAs). Research has not addressed how YAs’ understanding of identity and mental health is explored through D&D. This research explored the impact that [...] Read more.
Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a collaborative roleplaying game that is associated with social and emotional benefits for young adults (YAs). Research has not addressed how YAs’ understanding of identity and mental health is explored through D&D. This research explored the impact that playing D&D has on YAs’ understanding of their identity and how this relates to their mental health. Eleven YAs (aged 18–25) were interviewed about their experiences of playing D&D. Their interviews were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Four main themes were identified: D&D as a safer space; D&D for coping; D&D for exploration; and D&D for growth. The findings demonstrate that YAs use D&D to navigate experiences such as social and emotional difficulties and their evolving sense of self. D&D helped YAs to manage their current circumstances as well as to look to the future. These findings highlight the positive impact D&D has on identity exploration and mental health for YAs. Playing D&D was perceived by participants as improving their wellbeing, relationships, and occupations at a critical time developmentally when they are developing their sense of self. Consideration of how D&D may be incorporated into existing intervention approaches is discussed, including implications for further research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Roleplaying Games and Wellbeing)
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