Nonprofit takes D&D digital to help kids who struggle socially, and to study its own impact
Nonprofit takes D&D digital to help kids who struggle socially, and to study its own impact
Nonprofit takes D&D digital to help kids who struggle socially, and to study its own impact
By Lisa Stiffler
August 24, 2020
Summary
The founders of the nonprofit had gathered heaps of anecdotal evidence that tabletop games such as Dungeons & Dragons could help kids who struggled socially - whether they had autism, ADHD, anxiety or other challenges - learn to more successfully interact with others.
Thanks to a partnership with Seattle's foundry10, an innovative organization that researches learning and supports educational programs, Game to Grow was getting the chance to collect some data to bolster their case.
The two groups had planned to run an after-school program this fall at a couple of Seattle schools with larger numbers of lower-income students, studying how the kids responded to the game.
Faced with a global pandemic, Game to Grow took the initiative, turning a five-year plan to eventually go digital into a "Now plan," rapidly shifting its operations online, including the pending study.
Game to Grow assembles small, long-term cohorts of players age 8 to early 20s to engage in games, namely D&D but also Minecraft and the fantasy game Magic.
While many adults are still adjusting to the awkward give and take of communicating via video conferences, the Game to Grow participants are adapting well to the format, plus it's a chance to help them learn new skills for connecting digitally.
To measure the impact of Game to Grow, the researchers will do before-and-after surveys with families, inquiring about the students' curiosity, empathy, confidence and other behaviors.
By conducting the games online, researchers will be able to study the Zoom conferences and analyze interactions.
Davis has observed kids thriving in the program for years: He co-founded Game to Grow in 2017 with Adam Johns, with whom he previously ran a similar organization called Wheelhouse Workshop starting in 2013.
Many of the kids participating in Game to Grow programming have been in therapy for years where the message can be that they need to conform and change their behavior to fit in.
Reference
Stiffler, L. (2020, August 22). Nonprofit takes D&D digital to help kids who struggle socially, and to study its own impact. Retrieved August 25, 2020, from https://www.geekwire.com/2020/nonprofit-takes-dd-digital-help-kids-struggle-socially-study-impact/