RPG's a general belief:

By: Chad Worden

Have you ever played a role playing game(RPG)? If yes, skip this entire essay. If no, then read everything you can get your hands on before you join the mob screaming bloody murder at RPG manufacturers. I know that RPG's have a bad reputation, but none of the negative comments said of them is true. In fact, most RPGs enhance a persons ability to read, write, deal with emotions, look at others' points of view, and even teach complicated mathematics. They also are used in therapy by trusted and respected psychologists to treat everything from anxiety to schizophrenia.

There are lots of RPGs out there, you are probably familiar with "Dungeons & Dragons" by TRC. It's one of the most well known RPGs in circulation. But don't think that TRC makes all RPGs or "D&D" is the best. If you were to survey a bunch of gamers on what their favorite RPGs are, you would end up with a dozen or so completely different answers.

Many RPGs are on the same basic subject and use the similar algebraic formulas, and involve a lot of heavy reading. You also must learn and retain all of the rules of the game. What it boils down to is sitting in a room by yourself reading a book and writing down important rules and formulas before you ever even play. Sounds like real fun, huh? You get used to it. The real fun begins when you actually start playing. It opens you up to a whole new world were anything can happen, and it allows you to look through someone else's eyes. It gives you a whole new prospective on things when you imagine gazing out the eyes of another. So not only are you having fun, you're learning valuable skills for life.

Ask a psychoanalyst about the value of role playing in therapy. The response would probably be something like, "it allows the patient to express their true emotions with a character of their own creation in a world with consequences. These consequences will not directly affect them, thus making it easier to make a decision and learn from it, eventually applying the skills they learned role playing to real life." This statement is very true. In a RPG your character can die and you will be fine, but you will know what to do or not do next time. In life, there are no second chances or saving rolls.

I myself am a true player forever, and I recommend to anyone and everyone to try a RPG just so you know and can make your own opinion. Thank you for your time and please read more on this subject.

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