The Rock & Roll Shrink Radio Show Ep. 138 Games People Play (LARP as Therapy)

Games People Play - LARP & Gaming as Social Therapy 
Not everyone is a gamer, but in the last couple of decades, role-playing games have become more commonly well-known enough to where at least most people have at least heard of them somewhat, or even have a few friends who play. Also, the societal stigma against gaming and gamers has lessened and softened significantly, which helps.
Role-playing games, specifically, involve play that requires the player to portray someone else, and there are an enormous variety of traits and aspects of characters that one could pretend to be. 
What does this have to do with mental health therapy, you may ask? Most role-playing games, and especially LARPs or Live Action Role Playing games, often encourage players to be detailed about their fictional character, as if one were creating an entire story or a movie character. Having to do this process can involve detailed examination and analysis of motives, cultures, behaviors, society, and many other aspects we might take for granted, such as physical bodies, family structure, environment, etc. 

Tonight, we will discuss:

1.    Understanding Roleplaying Games, Structure, and Character Creation
2.    Similarities to “Method Acting” as well as Social Therapy
3.    Some Issues with Gaming for Processing Reality
4.    Conclusions, Closing Remarks, & Final Suggestions 

We'll start off the evening with some topic-relevant Classic Rock played by Dr. Mathis, followed by Classic Rock trivia in "The Rock & Roll Shrink Recalls," followed by our topic discussion.