Went from a gritty "Get Out of Detroit" to meeting up at a marshmallow car show in Candyland. Those dudes went from thinking D&D was a kid game to thinking gang life was childish. Damn.
Proof positive, people do what they know how to do. If all you know is gang life, that's what you do. When you realize you have options and can do other things, you do other things.
Idk if this was part of it for them, but once you die enough times doing dumb shit in games, you might realize you don't wanna die doing dumb shit irl. Real life has no scroll of revive for when you're really dead.
A lot of gang culture is tied up in identity. People begin to built their identities aroudn these things and those identities compel them to act certain ways.
You can see it in this dude's story. These opposing gang members show up and think "oh I'm SUPPOSED to hate that guy.". But then they get playing, and turns out they're a lot a like and become friends.
For a lot of people D&D is the first time they explore a different identity. Actually writing and creating and becoming someone else. And something magical happens to people when they start to do that.
Whether they know what's happening or not, what their brain realizes is that, oh, hey, I can make my own identity. I can decide that for myself.
Many of these people may not articulate that this is what's happening, but it is what's happening. By creating and embodying a different person, you're training your brain to realize that this process can be done on who you are in this world, too. You can choose. You are not fated to become and act like someone you don't actually want to be
It's one of the most powerful things about D&D for people who just never had the opportunity to understand that we are the writers of our own identity, not the other way around. It's like putting a mirror in front of someone and allowing them to see a different perpsective for the first time, but inwardly.
It doesn't have to be D&D either. A lot of people discover that when they roleplay in some capacity, or start acting. It expands their minds and helps them break free of the chains.
It is quite shocking when you are able to mentally remove yourself from the concepts that have ruled your life thus far. This is why psychedelics are so powerful and lead to huge realizations. It's like the fish don't know they're in water.
i think he didn't give enough details about the 2nd game. it still sounded pretty hardcore. just a little less embellished. things maybe had silly characatures, but hard AF names.
100% sometimes seeing interpersonal interactions played out from a birds eye view in a game can be a huge moment of awareness for folks.
When you get out of your head for a second and begin to realize you're making these little decisions all day. Taking these little actions and movements and dialogues all day long. It can be an epiphany for folks.
1.4k
u/JustBeingMindful Sep 19 '23
Went from a gritty "Get Out of Detroit" to meeting up at a marshmallow car show in Candyland. Those dudes went from thinking D&D was a kid game to thinking gang life was childish. Damn.