Tensions run high at the games table, but it’s also a space where Jessica Pech feels most comfortable to be herself.
The 10-year-old, who has autism, often finds social situations daunting and feels like she needs to suppress who she really is.
But it’s a different story when she plays Dungeons and Dragons.
Every fortnight this group of children and young people, who identify as neurodiverse, meet at a community hall in the rural South Australian town of Loxton, to play the tabletop fantasy role-playing game.
In Dungeons and Dragons, players form an adventuring party and explore fantasy worlds together, embarking on quests and levelling up in experience.
At the Loxton game nights, where die are rolled, poor fortunes cursed and luck celebrated, Jess and her fellow role-players build social connections and communicate on their own terms.
Mum Pippa Pech explained that despite being a social person, Jess needed others to play by her rules.
“For Jess, having a space where she can go along and let her traits go without having any worries of judgement or doing the wrong thing is a big deal for her … school isn’t the easiest for many of these kids,” Ms Pech explained.
“She started off having no idea about what Dungeons and Dragons was, but she’s absolutely loving the sessions now.
“It encourages freedom, creativity and thinking outside of the box.”
Ms Pech said Jess also had pathological demand avoidance (PDA) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which could make neurotypical settings challenging too.
She said Jess sometimes had trouble making decisions and became overwhelmed.
But at Dungeons and Dragons, unconventional creativity and communication was part and parcel of the tabletop gaming space.
Freedom to be themselves
It was the collaborative nature of Dungeons and Dragons, in a non-judgemental space, that was behind Jay Green’s motivation to be involved with the weekly event as a mentor.
Growing up with autism and ADHD himself, he found neurotypical settings difficult.
Since joining the games sessions, he has seen first hand how children and teens who identify as neurodiverse can thrive when they feel free to be themselves.
“It is really powerful to be able to be the change I wanted to see in the world,” Mr Green said.
“It brings them all together in a way they might not have connected otherwise.
“They’re acting through someone else, so it allows them to get out of their regular mindset.
“Being able to come in and know everyone is on an equal playing field puts everyone at ease.”
But how does it work?
Susannah Emery heads the Game Design major at the University of South Australia and has always been interested in how games can create social change through growth and education.
“When you read a book, you can only experience what has been written, you can’t change the story in any way,” Dr Emery said.
“But with games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, you start playing and your choices alter the world around you.
“There is a feedback loop between you and your choices, which determines the way everything responds to you.”
Dr Emery said conventional wisdom around neurodivergent people’s social skills could be misleading.
“Our research indicated neurodivergent people are really good at communicating with others like them,” she said.
“So through systems like Dungeons and Dragons we can do things where the perspectives of people from different walks of life are represented, and allow players to explore them.”
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