As I move forward from my recent intervention and tutorial, I’m planning for another intervention that builds on the learnings from previous research, interviews, and interventions. The focus will shift from trying to get a direct engagement through activities to developing resources that can facilitate and empower their social support networks. This pivot is informed by insights gained from my interviews and intervention, which highlighted that gamers who are socially anxious are more likely to participate in activities if they are invited by or accompanied by someone from their own social circle.
Addressing Engagement Challenges
From my previous intervention, I’ve recognized that it’s particularly challenging to directly engage with gamers who are uncomfortable in social settings. It has proven much more effective to connect through their more socially comfortable friends and family members. These individuals often understand the shy gamers’ needs and dynamics better and can serve as a bridge to encourage participation. This approach hopes to leverage existing trust and rapport, which is important when the target is more socially reserved.
New Plans
Previous research and interviews have highlighted the potential of tabletop games helping increase in-person social confidence. Additionally, from my previous intervention, I have learned that connecting with the shy and reserved gamer and also with the gaming community and its immediate circle in public settings is challenging due to the nature of some of their social habits. I had some limited success with my previous intervention solely because it coincided with the annual London Gaming Market, which was very lucky. Considering this, I believe the best approach from here on is through digital platforms. I want to develop digital resources for effectively distributing and communicating on the potential of tabletop games in helping improve a shy gamer’s face-to-face social confidence.
Objective
The main goal is to enable the immediate social circles of the gamers who are uncomfortable in social scenarios to use the developed resources to effectively invite and involve them in activities that enhances their social confidence. This method aims to equip the support networks with actionable insights to create an environment that promotes sustainable social growth and comfort.
Measure
To effectively gauge the outcome, I will focus on evaluation how well the resources empower the support networks of the socially uncomfortable gamers. The assessment process will include the following steps:
1. Gather a Focus Group: I will attempt to assemble a group of at least four participants, comprised by friends and family of gamers who struggle with face-to-face interactions. These participants will represent the primary users of our resources.
2.Resource Demonstration: During a session, I will introduce these participants to the resources, we’ll walk them through how each resource can be used to engage and support their friends and loved ones in enhancing their social interactions.
3. Pre-Intervention Interview: Before the session, I will conduct an interview to assess the participants’ initial confidence in their ability to assist their gamer friends or family members and their current level of understanding of the issues faced.
4. Post-Intervention Interview: After the participants have had some time to review the resources, I will conduct a follow-up interview. I want to measure any changes in their confidence and understanding, how prepared they feel to use the resources, and their intentions to apply what they’ve learned, or if they don’t feel ready, understand the reason why.
5. Long-term Follow-up: To assess the sustained impact, I hope to conduct follow-up interviews if possible to the support networks, and whether they’ve been able to apply and make a positive impact.
During our recent group tutorial, we shared our personal work preferences. A peer shared how working in the library rather than at home boosts productivity and focus. This is a sentiment that I can relate to from my undergraduate days. But since then, I have discovered my optimal working hours are late at night, from 9PM to 4AM. Even when I was in libraries, I was not able to fully focus until it starts getting into the evening. I found that night time brought on focus and motivation that my daylight hours lacked.
During my previous roles in marketing, daytime was filled with meetings, presentations and brainstorming sessions, which was productive but in a way that rarely allowed for deep work sessions. My solution was unconventional but effective for me personally: doing deep individual work in the later hours of the day often at the expense of my own time to compensate and to capitalize on my night time energy. This adjustment significantly boosted my productivity and motivation, and also aligned with my natural rhythms, enabling me to efficiently manage projects, write copy, handle budgets, and review contracts with heightened focus and fewer distractions. I’ve even gone as far as to negotiate working hours with my previous managers to enable to me start my days later, aligning my work hours with my peak mental awareness.
However, this approach has been met with some concern from our tutor. Especially for when I step into “professional employment,” and also concerns for when I eventually “start a family,” and how it would potentially disrupt my family life. While I value the perspectives shared, I stand by the effectiveness of my method, which has served me well across academic and professional settings in the past few years. I also do not believe that this has negatively impacted my current commitments to this course either as I have barely missed or is late to classes, don’t miss deadlines, and actively engage during tutorial sessions.
Task Optimization
We also discussed task optimization strategies during the tutorial. It was suggested by our tutor that starting with the easiest tasks isn’t always the most effective approach, as it can leave important tasks pending and might just merely satisfying for short-term dopamine rushes when you cross a task off the list. This makes sense, because completing tasks and crossing them off the list does feel really good. However, in my own personal experience over the years, I’ve found that breaking down tasks and tackling simpler tasks first helps me gain momentum and ease into the more complex ones. This method has proven effective for me over the years, helping me with my focus and motivation, so I think I will stick to this as it has worked well for me.
The Value of Blogging
We also discussed the role of blogs and learning logs during the tutorial. I’ve been consistently updating my blog not just as a requirement for Unit 3, but as a practice I started back in Unit 1. For me, blogging is a tool that helps me manage my workflow and maintain clarity in my thoughts. It’s one of those “simple tasks” I mentioned earlier that eases me into tackling more complex work. Through writing, I am able to reflect on my past actions, plan my next steps, and clarify my train of thought. If I ever find myself confused about the direction of my project, I can look back at previous entries to understand the evolution of my ideas. Starting to blog was something new for me this year, and it’s proven to be really valuable. It’s something I plan to continue doing long after this course ends.
During our discussion, I was asked about whether I struggle with the nervousness of posting publicly and perfectionism. While some peers voiced their hesitations about sharing unpolished thoughts, I’ve never really struggled with perfectionism in this regard. I believe blogs are naturally iterative. They capture our evolving thoughts and even our mistakes. These errors are not just acceptable, but I feel like they are essential. You are able to track how ideas form and your iterations of the idea, offering a transparent view of your evolving ideas.
For those struggling with the idea of blogging due to perfectionism, I suggested keeping their blogs private. This way, they can still reap the benefits of documenting their journey without being self-conscious. They’ll still be able to maintain the reflective benefits of blogging while safeguarding personal comfort.
Gamer Stereotypes: A Sticky Subject
The discussion moved on into my intervention and how it has shed some light on the complex dynamics within gaming cultures. I shared an observation from my intervention about a participant who noted a friend’s outspoken and heinous behaviors online, compared to his more reserved and shy profile in person. And also, a girl gamer who feels more comfortable in in-person social interactions because she gets a lot of harassment online. Our tutor pointed out that this highlighted a notion that gamers are more comfortable online because it shields irresponsible behavior. This notion does seem to have some credibility, especially with the two cases I have observed from my intervention, but this is a troubling yet common stereotype.
This stereotype is an oversimplification that ignores the diversity within the gaming community. When we were discussing this stereotype, I recalled(I didn’t share this during the tutorial, I remembered this in my head) an earlier tutorial where a tutor referred to gamers as “incels,” which I find to be very unfortunate, good thing it was promptly corrected by another tutor who was also in the same conversation. These experiences showed the persistence of these forms of negative stereotypes within our society, which is a narrative I’ve always wanted to dismantle, including in my earliest “how can” question and intervention.
Refining My Research Question
These discussions pushed me to refine the focus of my project. I am now narrowing in on gamers who are not just seeking anonymity online but are genuinely interested to improve their real-life social interactions. My revised question, “How can young gamers who struggle with social interactions in real-life scenarios but wish to improve be supported to enhance their social confidence?” aims to target and assist those genuinely interested in growth.
I created a rough project brief for myself before the tutorial on July 16th, and I updated some elements afterwards to better align with my project’s objectives.
My exploration into how tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) can facilitate therapeutic outcomes for socially anxious gamers, I had the enlightening opportunity to speak with Rupert Greyling, the Creative Director of The Goblin’s Chest, a UK-based organization known for its use to tabletop role-playing games (TTRPTs) as therapeutic tools, specializes in designing customized TTRPG sessions that cater to individuals with diverse needs, including children with traumatic backgrounds and those who are neurodiverse.
Expanding on Gradual Exposure and Personalized Adventures
Rupert emphasized the importance of introducing social challenges gradually within the therapeutic TTRPG sessions. This method allows participants, particularly those who may feel overwhelmed by direct interactions, to slowly build their confidence. By not confronting the problem head-on but rather using game elements and scenarios as metaphors for real-life challenges, participants can face their fears in a controlled, progressive manner. I think this approach would be crucial for helping gamers transition their online social skills to real-world interactions by incrementally increasing their exposure to more socially demanding situations.
Safe Environments and Real-Life Applications
Rupert mentions that the use to TTRPGs to create a safe space for exploring sensitive issues is particularly powerful. By replacing real-life scenarios with fantastical scenarios, participants can explore their reactions and decisions in a context that feels less personal and threatening. I think this approach would be especially beneficial for gamers who might feel vulnerable or exposed in face-to-face interactions, as it provides a layer of abstraction and safety.
The skills practiced in these TTRPG sessions have direct implications for real-life situations. Rupert discussed how these games help build a “subconscious network” that participants can draw upon in real life.
Real Success Stories
Rupert detailed some cases where participants, through regular social engagements in TTRPG sessions, became significantly more social and confident over time. One notable example involved a young individual who, from a background of severe reservation due to social anxiety, became much more outspoken and interactive. Initially, this individual participated in games not speaking much. Over time, however, they began to engage more openly, actively participating in discussions.
This gradual increase in comfort with direct social interaction is a critical step for someone who previously might have avoided such engagement entirely. It reflects a broader pattern where participants, after repeated exposure to social interactions within a safe and controlled environment of TTRPGs, begins to carry these new skills.
Reflection
The structured yet flexible nature of TTRPGs allows for such success by enabling participants to confront social challenges at a manageable pace. By simulating real-world interactions within a fantasy context, players can practice social skills without the high stakes of actual social consequences. This practice builds a kind of muscle memory for social interactions, making real-life encounters less daunting.
Furthermore, Rupert noted that the improvements observed in participants often led to better social interactions even outside of his workshop. For instance, individuals who were initially shy or withdrawn shared that they were feeling more equipped and confident in various social settings, from school to family interactions.
I think what I’ve learned today strongly support the potential of therapeutic TTRPGs to serve as a bridge between online and offline social interaction for gamers who may feel socially anxious or less confident in direct social settings. The possibility of building significant, lasting change in individuals’ social habits and skills, facilitated by the engaging, low-risk nature of role-playing games.
Evidence
The full recording and transcript can be accessed here. Please note that this content is hosted on UAL OneDrive and requires you to be logged into your UAL student or staff account for access. The video is restricted to internal use and is available exclusively for academic purposes.
I came across a fascinating study by Eklund, which examines the link between online and offline worlds through using the example of social gaming.
Online Gaming
Eklund (2013) observed that “Social interaction is a significant part of MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) gaming as the gameplay demands group effort to complete game goals; gamers collaborate, compete, and interact with each other. Playing an MMO game allows gamers to immerse in a social world together” (Eklund, 2013, p.2). This highlighted how a lot of the MMOs available on the market are designed to foster a communal interaction where players must work together or against each other, creating a social experience.
Further looking into shared activities, Eklund (2013) notes, “Gaming with others allows the social interaction a focus and a shared sense of understanding, as it is shaped not only around an interest but around shared experiences” (p.7).
Reflection
Reflecting on my hypothesis of using board games (TTRPG in particular) as a bridge for online gamers to link up their online social competence into the real world and practice face-to-face social interactions, it becomes apparent how these board games mirror the social structures of online gaming but with added benefits of direct, personal interaction. Unlike online games, board games and TTRPGs require players to engage in real-time, face-to-face communications, which can lead to enhanced communication skills and deeper connections with peers.
Looking at my previous research inquiries, there’s an increasing recognition of TTRPGs’ potential in therapeutic settings, particular for neurodivergent individuals and individuals facing social isolation. These games are structured yet flexible, they provide safe spaces for players to experiment with social interactions, which can be particularly empowering for those looking to develop their social capabilities in a supportive environment.
One example of an UK organization that uses therapeutic TTRPG to help people is “The Goblin’s Chest.” They’re a workshop provider who uses TTRPG to encourage positive social and communication skills in neurodiverse and neurotypical people of all ages. I have secured an interview session with the creative director at The Goblin’s Chest later this week, and I intend to find out more about this practice.
References
Eklund, L. (2013) The sociality of gaming: A mixed methods approach to understanding digital gaming as a social leisure activity. Doctoral thesis, Uppsala University. Supervisor: K. Bergmark.
On June 30th, Sunday, I headed out to the London Gaming Market at Royal National Hotel for a public intervention. Through my activities, I hope to spark a change in the participants’ self-perception by making them aware of the differences in their social comfort levels in both Online and Offline settings. I also wanted to explore first-hand how gamers perceive their comfort levels across online versus face-to-face social interactions.
The Setup
My setup was simple and straightforward. I invited participants to express their comfort levels for both online and offline interactions by placing stickers on a scale from 1 to 10. Below this scale, I arranged a section for post-it notes. Orange notes for personal insights on self and green notes for observations about friends and family. I was right outside the London Gaming Market venue for two hours and had nineteen participants in total.
The Scale
The trend was clear: online interactions generally scored higher in comfort, with many participants opting for the 8-10 range. Offline interactions, however, displayed a broader spread, showing a bigger range of comfort in real-life social settings
Social comfort scale results
Post-It Reflections
My initial attempts to get participants to write down their thoughts was harder than I originally anticipated. Only one person took the time to write on a post-it. Recognizing the need to change my approach, I switched tactics: instead of asking them to write, I engaged directly in conversation and noted their insights myself. This approach made the interaction more dynamic and less daunting for participants.
A participant in the process of writing down his observations of his friends’ online and offline personality differences (photo was taken with consent from the participant)
Even with this change, it was still pretty challenging to get people to open up about their personal online vs offline behaviors (marked on the orange notes). Out of all nineteen participants, only four were willing to share their personal experiences. Many seemed hesitant to dive into their personal reflections in such a public setting, so when I sensed even a little bit of a reluctance or they seemed hesitant, I choose to not push further even if they didn’t tell me no.
Conversely, when discussing their friends’ online and offline personas (marked on the green notes), it seemed to be a lighter and more engaging topic. This part of the exercise brought out stories from an additional eight participants. Some of the participants even burst out laughing when I asked them the question. One remark that particularly stood out was from a participant who shared, “I have a friend who says the most heinous things very outwardly online, but offline he’s actually quite reserved and shy.” There was also another comment from another participant saying that her gamer friend feels more able to express herself creatively online than in offline social settings. This highlighted the contrast some people experience between their virtual and real-world interactions.
The board used for the intervention
Some Unique Insights
Some encounters during that day provided deeper, more complex insights that made me reflect, and one additional surprising encounter!
1. Gamer Girl: One of my encounters involved a young woman who rated her comfort level with online gaming interactions very low (3) and offline interactions very high (10), this greatly contrasts the other participants. She explained that as a gamer girl, she frequently experiences harassment online, a stark contrast to her face-to-face interactions where such negativity is far less prevalent. I think this goes to show how important a safe environment is when it comes to feeling socially comfortable in a certain space.
2. The Teacher: Another notable conversation was with a teacher who says he is very relaxed and comfortable interacting socially online, particularly within gaming contexts. However, he shared that his offline social comfort levels are highly dependent on context. In professional settings like teaching, he feels competent and confident. Outside of work, he’s more reserved, where he says he worries about judgement and perception from others. This was a really memorable comment as it made me reflect, and I can relate to this. I don’t really like engaging with people face-to-face outside of professional/school situations. I can instill myself with confidence when I absolutely need to, for example if I need to do a presentation or do a tutorial, but outside of that I try to stay away from unneeded social interactions. Never thought about it before, but it’s cool that he brought this phenomenon to my attention.
3. MA Culture and Curation Peer: Interestingly, I also ran into a peer from the MA Culture and Curation course, who was also attending the London Gaming Market. It was a pleasant surprise that provided a brief moment of personal connection in an otherwise professionally focused day!
Challenges Along the Way
Initiating conversations with people was one of the toughest aspects of this intervention. Approaching strangers cold was particularly hard, I was really nervous myself and many of whom I approach were hesitant to stop, and quite a few dismissed my attempts with a quick wave. I tried for about half an hour with no one stopping to make conversation. I realized that my approach might be too abrupt, so I adjusted by introducing myself first as a student from UAL, and I also wore my UAL badge. This small tweak seemed to make a big difference, there were still people who prefer not to engage but I was starting to get people to actually stop and participate. The badge and my introduction definitely gave me some credibility to my presence, helping me get more people to participate.
Another hurdle was encouraging participants to openly discuss their personal experiences with social interactions both online and offline. The public setting of the intervention might have contributed to their reluctance, and also the fact that I am a stranger to them probably did not help. I understand that it is not always comfortable to discuss personal matters with strangers in such environments. I noticed that direct requests for participants to write their insights on post-it notes led to them not participating further, it seems like the task of writing was a barrier in itself, many expressed interest in this study but didn’t seem to want to physically write down their thoughts so I shifted to verbally collecting their thoughts which seemed to help with engagement to an extent. This observation will inform how I might streamline participation in the future and make it as effortless as possible for participants if I were to run something in public again.
Intervention’s Goal
The aim of this intervention was not only to test my assumption first-hand on whether some gamers have different social comfort levels in online and offline environments, the main goal was to spark self-awareness among participants about the differences between their online and offline social behaviors. Through visualizing these differences, I wish to encourage participants to see that their well-developed online social skills can indeed be adapted for face-to-face interactions. This activity aimed to shift perspectives, suggesting that improving real-world social confidence isn’t about starting starting from scratch but rather bridging already existing social competencies. It’s about realizing that they already possess the necessary skills, they just need to apply them differently.
Outcome
Six people mentioned that they’d never really thought about how different they act online and offline until they saw the visualization of the boards which got them to really think about it. The rest of the thirteen participants either don’t have too big of a gap or were already aware. Even though there’s only six, I hope that every interaction I had that day planted a seed of deeper awareness.
