Driven By Imagination
The benefits of introducing campers to role-playing games
By Julie Thomas
Camps offer a rich and increasingly rare practice ground for campers to develop:
Photo: © Can Stock Photo / outsiderzone
• Creative problem-solving
• Confidence
• Diplomacy
• A sense of identifying and nurturing strengths in others
• Cooperative and sensible risk-taking
• An opportunity to work through failure.
Using fantasy role-play games like Dungeons and Dragons, camps can produce more than fireball-shooting wizards or axe-swinging orcs. Role-playing games encourage campers to create a character that both resonates with that camper, but also fits into a team of players. In a cooperative game, a group works toward a common goal—much like the community we are trying to build in camp and the world. Campers engage their emotional awareness and intelligence to create a character and to make decisions in line with that character. Often, as campers play more, they will try to change the character by being different and less familiar, just for the challenge of expanding their empathy.
Learning To Take Chances
Once characters and roles are established, the questing begins. The Dungeon Master, or whoever is leading the game, has already done a lot of work in creating a story with surprises, problems, and a goal for the group. Now, the team has to uncover these problems and solve them together. To determine if a desired action can be performed, players roll dice, which introduces chance into the game. Players have different odds for different actions based on their choices and the luck with which they created their characters, so every decision requires players to look at the abilities and odds of other members and to determine who has the best chance for group success. This evaluation of risk is transferable outside the game, as is the focus on the group’s success and not one’s own ability to do everything on his or her own.
Sometimes, chance is not in one’s favor. Actions will be attempted and thwarted; even in a small, low-stakes setting, this is a great way for kids to feel what failure is and to immediately find a new strategy to achieve the goal. Growing good humans in a culture that signals merit determines outcomes rather than the more nuanced reality that luck plays a major role in life. Helping campers experience both successes and failures, we’re in a unique position to diminish negative beliefs and attitudes about oneself, which leads to positive behaviors. In the game, however, failures are often brushed off if a reasonable effort is made. And if the risk is deemed unnecessary or poorly chosen by the group, a healthy amount of “we told you so” may ensue. This is where diplomacy comes into the game as well. When there is a disagreement about how best to handle a challenge, the members of a team have to discuss their proposed strategies and convince each other of their intended course of action. Once again, the low-stakes nature of the negotiations allows campers to more readily try new strategies and improve.
By design, role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons provide safe places for creativity and social practice, due to the game’s primary objective, which is to enjoy time with other players, and the secondary objective, which is to succeed as a team. Campers know they are not taking any discovered gold from the game back to the cabin, but they are taking the stories of how Sarah tried to take on two fire giants by herself and LaQuan had to rush in to her aid, while Calyse cast a healing spell to save her, and David started firing arrows from a safe distance. It’s all about the experience secretly laden with learning, and isn’t that what camp is all about?
Making Participation Acceptable
Obviously, not every camper is going to enjoy this type of creative social experience, and that is OK. In order for this to be a positive addition to your camp, the game needs to be a totally optional experience. There also needs to be a pervasive culture of acceptance and, more importantly, an awareness and ability for staff members and campers to combat the inevitable, “Oh, you’re playing Dungeons and Dragons? You must be a nerd with no friends.” While none of us allow bullying at our camps, this is common teasing and can go overlooked. And, if it is overlooked, you will find that very few campers want to participate. Once you have an established culture of acceptance and make staff members aware of the minor bullying that may arise, you’ll need a staff member who is willing to do the hard work of setting the game up.
Photo: Courtesy of YMCA Camp Mason
That member will need a rule book of some type for whatever role-playing game you plan to undertake. Players will also need a set of dice (with 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 20 sides). Realistically, this can be obtained for about $20. You’ll also need a decent amount of time (the game can be adjusted based on the timeframe as well, but anything less than 3 total hours playing time is likely inadequate, and closer to 5 hours is better). The staff member will need a story, either created or likely found online. Creating the story will take time, as will becoming familiar with the rules of the game, so it helps if a staff member has some familiarity. Last, but not least, campers will need an opportunity to express their interest, and to play!
When encouraging kids to be creative and take risks, it is important to set some boundaries and expectations. Establishing a brief behavior contract, like what is established in group initiatives or cabins, can help curb the more absurd role-playing and ultimately create a better experience for the group. If one or two campers do not engage in the story and nature of the game, they can easily detract from and derail the whole experience, so this behavior contract and accountability are crucial.
While Dungeons and Dragons is an easily recognized example of role-playing games, this same style of game can be created with almost any theme, which may allow campers to find a game they will be interested in and give them the opportunity to explore this low-risk, soft-skill practice zone, even if they don’t want to be a sword-brandishing barbarian. Happy imagining!
Julie Thomas is the Assistant Summer-Camp Director for YMCA Camp Mason in Hardwick, N.J. She has 9 years’ experience in the camp, recreation, and leadership fields. She has worked as a summer-camp counselor, program coordinator, outdoor-education instructor, assistant director, program administrator, family-programs director, and assistant summer-camp director. Her passion for getting youth outside and helping them build strong selves and communities has led her to a variety of locations serving unique populations. Reach her at julie@campmason.org.