Researchers are exploring the ways board games and tabletop role-playing games could be used in health and social care interventions.
The University of Plymouth said researchers found games such as Dungeons and Dragons and Dixit could lead to improvements in confidence, assertiveness, and real-life social engagement, especially in neurodivergent players.
It received funding alongside Manchester Metropolitan University to host a national workshop for mental health and education professionals being held in Tunbridge Wells in 2026.
The aim of the research is to create a toolkit to enhance people's wellbeing and lay the groundwork for a large-scale controlled study, the university said.
The initiative has been led by Dr Gray Atherton and Dr Liam Cross, lecturers in the University of Plymouth's School of Psychology, and funded through the international Game in Lab programme.
