Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
In an unassuming factory building in Hong Kong, groups of players gather regularly at a hobby store called DMZ to role-play as fantastical characters on epic missions.
This game, Dungeons & Dragons, is also known as D&D.
There are no screens, headsets or expensive devices. Instead, players roll multi-sided dice on a tabletop and move their miniatures on a paper battle map. They often design their own characters as they go on quests in a fantasy world.
Sessions typically last three to four hours, and these are part of larger campaigns that can take six months or even years to complete. Despite the long games, players keep coming back.
“D&D is a big commitment,” noted the leader of the DMZ game sessions, Gus Melzar Casela Geopano. “Luckily, players [are] willing to do it because they love the people around them.”
Social benefits of D&D
Many players of tabletop role-playing games join for the chance to use their imaginations in exciting adventures in another world. But the game also benefits them socially and emotionally.
Geopano said there is a difference between socialising during role-playing games online and in person: “Social interaction [online] is much more difficult. You can still socialise, but there isn’t that genuine feeling of talking to someone.”
He explained, “[In Dungeons & Dragons] you can see people’s shocked faces, how distressed or how tired they are ... the dynamic between players.”
Geopano, 30, has worked at Baptist Oi Kwan Social Services as a programme worker for 11 years. He often holds Dungeons & Dragons game sessions at the social services centre.
He said tabletop role-playing games encouraged players to think outside the box – for example, when characters are trapped and need the perfect spell to get out of a tricky situation.
The social worker has also observed shy players blossom into social butterflies through these games. He believes this is a great way for introverted students to socialise.
“You have to come out of your shell. You force yourself to talk to these people, and not only that, you’re more open with yourself,” he explained.
Building community
DMZ store owner and Dungeons & Dragons player Karl William Uy Ho said the game offered a space for young people to be themselves, try new things and meet people from all walks of life.
Geopano has led games for secondary school students as well as people in their seventies, all of whom see their gaming venues as a second home.
He explained what it was like to be a game master – someone who leads Dungeons & Dragons sessions – and what he enjoyed about the role.
“You want to have your players ... experience the story that you wrote,” he said.
“Hearing them talk about it after the session, or maybe even hearing them share the session with other people, is really satisfying.”
