For those of us who play roleplaying games regularly we often find ourselves reminiscing with our groups about moments of high drama or excitement that we’ve experiences in our games. It often feels like we’ve lived the encounters, our experience moves beyond the game. The highs, the lows and the dramatic were all experienced. For our memory they feel real.
I can still picture the time my warrior character fled before a goblin horde, bravely trying to lead them into an ambush. The sense of dread as the mob of savage goblins nipped at his heels. Burning buildings on either side of the street. The roll of a die determining his fate. Tangible fear and tension.
It was exciting and my friends and I remember that encounter with genuine fondness.
Another experience which has always stuck with me was pivotal in me pursuing a career in leadership. I was on a “Managing People” course and had been split into teams. My role was leader for this scenario. We were up against actors portraying an aggressive client. The stress and pressure was on. It felt uncomfortable. I got the team together, we collaborated on a solution, I set priorities and we were off!
I experienced the pressure of a stressful leadership experience and found that I loved it. Really loved it. I’ve never looked back.
Experiencing Real
Interestingly, in her book “Me, Myself, and Why: Searching for the Science of Self,” author Jennifer Ouellette explores various aspects of human identity. For me the highlight of the book revolves around the experience of playing roleplaying games. Detailing how these experiences are treated as real by the human memory.
According to Ouellette, roleplaying games are a form of “experiential fiction” in which players immerse themselves as characters within a fictional world. During gameplay, players often make decisions and interact with other characters in ways that feel real and meaningful. She notes that this sense of immersion can be so strong that it affects the way players remember their experiences.
Additionally, a study conducted by psychologist William Sims Bainbridge looked at players of the online roleplaying game “World of Warcraft”. He found their memories of the game were just as vivid and detailed as memories of real-life events.
This phenomenon is thought to occur because the brain processes all experiences in a similar way, regardless of whether they are real or fictional. The brain stores memories based on the emotional and sensory input that they provide. Of course, roleplaying games often provide this rich and immersive sensory experience.
Overall, Ouellette suggests that the experience of playing roleplaying games can be just as real and meaningful to players as real-life experiences. While memories created during gameplay can be just as vivid and long-lasting.
Going Beyond the Game
This is really interesting to me. The idea that we can use roleplaying games to give people experiences that their memory will remember as close real life is compelling. For me, this means that we can use roleplaying games like D&D as a tool to give people experiences that can accumulate as real lived experience.
Imagine the future leaders in your company. They get trained in the theory and principals of good leadership. However, placing them in a position of authority can be daunting due to their lack of experience. What if you could run them through a series of roleplaying game scenarios where the cohort experiences difficult leadership decisions together. Measured and considerate feedback cements the lessons.
This type of training is exemplified by the military. Intense field exercises where the role of leader is switched between students gives them lived experience of leading under pressure. I don’t see why we cant create a similar experience using RPGs, albeit in the comfort of the indoors.
Have you ever used RPGs in the training environment?