Publish at June 10 2019 Updated October 22 2025
Role-playing games, particularly the best-known title, Dungeons & Dragons, have long had a bad reputation. Religious associations often associated it with satanic cults among children and teenagers. Then, this type of game was seen as old-fashioned and aimed at immature people immersed in fantasy worlds.
Recently, however, role-playing has regained popularity with its inclusion in the popular TV series Stranger Things.
As a result, teachers who have played Dungeons & Dragons now feel justified in bringing their passion back into the classroom. Indeed, some American classrooms now look rather like this:
In a huge comic strip published in August 2018, an illustrator showed examples of different teachers using this role-playing game in their classrooms. And, more importantly, why they do it. To a neophyte, a game where knights and wizards battle imaginary creatures doesn't sound pedagogical. And yet, as they point out, the world of Dungeons & Dragons requires many skills linked to school subjects.
Already, dice rolls and characteristics call for arithmetic. The narrative threads developed by the game master require players to take an interest in history, mythology or even political systems.
And while this leisure activity used to be predominantly associated with men, things have changed. More and more women are taking up the game. Role-playing in the classroom isn't just a solution for boys. Girls, too, can enjoy it immensely. Especially since, as this teacher reminds us, the game allows players to embody whatever they want. A young woman can play a muscular warrior seeking vengeance, while her male colleague can play an archer motivated by the possibility of collecting treasure.
Role-playing books can be very interesting for teachers who also want to get young people reading more. They contain elements relating to the universe, rules and so on. This article details how one teacher used the codes of Dungeons & Dragons to get students to create character sheets for literary classics such as Beowulf or Macbeth.
Not to mention that it can also be a pretext for writing. Teachers can ask their students to describe their character's life story in greater detail before they begin their adventure. This in-depth work will make writing more fun, as well as the gameplay, since the protagonists will have a real background explaining their worldviews, attitudes, and so on. In fact, many authors and artists have played D&D to develop their creativity.
The question now is how to integrate this approach into the classroom. At the time, we were already talking about this Web platform that transforms group organization into RPG characters. Indeed, Classcraft skilfully adopted the look and feel of the fantasy world, without requiring the use of role-playing books.
On the other hand, those wishing to integrate Dungeons & Dragons into the classroom could consult this site, which offers ideas for lessons and characters that can be used by students. The site even includes references to studies on the subject of role-playing in the classroom. Teachers around the world who use role-playing games are also invited to register and introduce themselves, in order to build up a community of role-playing teachers.
Illustration: Marco Hazard - Foter.com / CC BY-SA
References
Darvasi, Paul. "Leveraging the Lore of 'Dungeons & Dragons' to Motivate Students to Read and Write." KQED. Last updated October 18, 2018.
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/51787/leveraging-the-lore-of-dungeons-and-dragons-to-motivate-students-to-read-and-write
Haynes, Megan. "How Women Are Taking on the World of Dungeons and Dragons." Thestar.com. Last updated November 29, 2018.
https://www.thestar.com/life/2018/11/29/how-women-are-taking-on-the-world-of-dungeons-and-dragons.html
McAndrew, Phil. "Critical Hits in the Classroom." The Nib. Last updated August 8, 2018.
https://thenib.com/critical-hits-in-the-classroom
Robinson, Tasha. "This Comic Explores Dungeons & Dragons' Classroom Potential." The Verge. Last updated August 11, 2018.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/11/17678214/dungeons-dragons-educational-potential-roleplaying-in-classrooms-with-kids-phil-mcandrew
Teaching with DnD. Last updated February 12, 2019.
https://www.teachingwithdnd.com/
"There's More to D&D Than You Might Think." STEM MINDS. Last updated: December 7, 2018.
https://stemminds.com/15395-2/
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