Role Playing Games: Sacrament Meeting
I was first introduced to role playing games like D&D in my teenage years. I played occasionally and intermittently through college, but moveing to a mid-sized midwestern town kind of makes it harder to find a group to play with. Additionally the time to play was always difficult to find.
A few years ago my children found out about role playing games. We introduced them to the game as a fun family activity and shortly thereafter used it as part of the household economy as part of the reward system we use for completing schoolwork in a timely manner. The children were more interested in role playing games and over time they have progressively adopted structured role playing games as a portion of their play.
Like any other toy role playing can be a distraction in times when concentration is needed or a cause of contention. However they can also help children develop decision making, problem solving, conflict resolution, and planning skills. And they are a lot of fun for a wide range of ages.
The appearance of role playing among children is not novel - most children instinctively will role play. (e.g Cops & Robbers, House, etc.) The difference between the standard approach and what happens here is the selection of a 'game master' who is in charge of the world around the characters played by the children. Most of the children have taken the role of game master at one point or another. Some of them are recognized by their peers as better than others based on factors like realism, agency, and game enjoyment.
Today I observed an arrangement and a setting in a role playing game that I have not observed before. 18 yr old Laundryman was playing with 6 year old JJ as the game master. I arrived in the room they were playing in just as Laundryman said "... I hurry into the chapel and sit down in a pew in the back of the room." JJ indicated that sacrpament meeting took place. Laundryman - maybe just out of curiosity to find out what JJ would say - asked what the talks were about.
"The first is about Staying in Tune."
"Staying in tune with what?"
"Staying in Tune with Spirit."
As I left the room on my errand I laughed inside at the thought that the role playing had permeated this far (or that our daily lives have permeated into our roleplaying...) - and that JJ would choose such a marvelous subject for a sacroament meeting talk.
Later I asked Laundryman about the other talks. He expressed amazement at how well the topics of the other two talks fit together with the first: "Staying on the Path" and "Repentance".
I'm not sure where the planning skills JJ displayed here will be expressed later in her life. (For me this game was very unexpected.) But it will be fun to see.
A few years ago my children found out about role playing games. We introduced them to the game as a fun family activity and shortly thereafter used it as part of the household economy as part of the reward system we use for completing schoolwork in a timely manner. The children were more interested in role playing games and over time they have progressively adopted structured role playing games as a portion of their play.
Like any other toy role playing can be a distraction in times when concentration is needed or a cause of contention. However they can also help children develop decision making, problem solving, conflict resolution, and planning skills. And they are a lot of fun for a wide range of ages.
The appearance of role playing among children is not novel - most children instinctively will role play. (e.g Cops & Robbers, House, etc.) The difference between the standard approach and what happens here is the selection of a 'game master' who is in charge of the world around the characters played by the children. Most of the children have taken the role of game master at one point or another. Some of them are recognized by their peers as better than others based on factors like realism, agency, and game enjoyment.
Today I observed an arrangement and a setting in a role playing game that I have not observed before. 18 yr old Laundryman was playing with 6 year old JJ as the game master. I arrived in the room they were playing in just as Laundryman said "... I hurry into the chapel and sit down in a pew in the back of the room." JJ indicated that sacrpament meeting took place. Laundryman - maybe just out of curiosity to find out what JJ would say - asked what the talks were about.
"The first is about Staying in Tune."
"Staying in tune with what?"
"Staying in Tune with Spirit."
As I left the room on my errand I laughed inside at the thought that the role playing had permeated this far (or that our daily lives have permeated into our roleplaying...) - and that JJ would choose such a marvelous subject for a sacroament meeting talk.
Later I asked Laundryman about the other talks. He expressed amazement at how well the topics of the other two talks fit together with the first: "Staying on the Path" and "Repentance".
I'm not sure where the planning skills JJ displayed here will be expressed later in her life. (For me this game was very unexpected.) But it will be fun to see.
posted by Harvey at 3:59 AM
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