Six-year Dungeons & Dragons game inspires UHI lecturer’s research into friendship

A UHI North, West and Hebrides lecturer who began playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends during lockdown is now researching how tabletop gaming can strengthen relationships, with the game he started six years ago still going.

Hereward Proops, a lecturer at the university’s Stornoway campus, will explore the social and psychological side of tabletop role-playing after being named on the line-up for Dragonmeet at Excel London on Saturday 28 November. 

Dragonmeet, one of the UK’s biggest annual tabletop gaming events, brings together gamers, designers, publishers and enthusiasts from across the UK and beyond. 

Hereward’s seminar will explore the unexpected twists and turns of games such as Dungeons & Dragons, as well as the surprising importance players can attach to something as simple as a set of dice. 

Previous studies have revealed that games like Dungeons & Dragons help boost people’s mental health and prevent loneliness. Hereward’s research looks at why that happens, and what happens around the gaming table that helps friendships grow, including the way players work together to create a story as they play. 

Hereward said:

“I started looking into this area during the pandemic, when I began playing Dungeons & Dragons remotely with friends to pass the time. 

“The social side of it quickly became clear. Six years later, the game we started during lockdown is still going, and we’ve built strong friendships through it. 

“We know that these games can bring people together, and what interests me in particular is why that happens – in other words, what is it about playing these games that can turn a group of people around a table into a close-knit group? 

“One of the things that makes tabletop role-playing so different is the freedom it gives you. You can try almost anything and the group can take the story in a direction nobody expected. 

“You’re not just playing a game someone else has created. You’re creating something together as you go and that shared experience can become really important to the people taking part. 

“At Dragonmeet, I’ll be looking at one part of that - why dice can become much more than just something you roll and why players can embrace the unexpected things that happen during a game. 

“You might have an idea of where a session is going, but a roll of the dice can change everything. That mix of chance, creativity and working together is what makes tabletop role-playing so fascinating.”