– When you finish your studies and have passed the age of 25, it becomes more difficult to have a social life. People get jobs, girlfriends, children and maybe even get married. Then it is not as easy to meet. That’s what Marius Brøvik says, he has recently moved from studies in Tromsø to a permanent job in Hammerfest. He didn’t know anyone here before, so finding someone who shared the same interests became important. Marius Brøvik has only played a few times in the past. Learning your place in the group is exciting. Photo: Jo Hermstad Tronsen / news – I have always been interested in fantasy and role-playing games. It’s a great way to create a social network when you’re new to a city. Brøvik asked if there was anyone playing the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons on Facebook, and got an immediate answer. – The important thing is to take the initiative yourself, get out as soon as possible after you have moved in. The longer you sit alone, the harder it is to get out, is my experience. What is Dungeons and Dragons? The fantasy role-playing game was developed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1974. The game has undergone many changes since then and is considered an advanced role-playing game. There are around 50 million active players. You play the game by creating a character. This can be anything from an ordinary human, to an elf, dwarf or maybe you are half dragon? All this can be found in an official rulebook, called the Player’s Handbook. Once you have created your character, you can start the actual game. The story is led by a Dungeon Master, who can be seen as a storyteller. The adventure can be anything from a hunt for an epic treasure, a war against another race, or your ship ran aground and you and your fellow players are stranded on a mysterious island. Together with your buddies, you set off on an adventure. The game has been referenced frequently in popular culture, including The Big Bang Theory, and more recently Stranger Things. This has led to further popularity of the game. It is also much of the foundation of many modern digital games. Like, for example, World of Warcraft and the Diablo series. Solving problems together Now he meets the gang monthly to play the role-play at the library in Hammerfest. – Shall we just blow the door down? can be heard inside the library. The gang gathered this evening is Marius, Niklas Isaksen Egnes, Emil Isaksen Egnes, Tord Karlsen and Martin Ulven Wulff. The role play is well underway. Here at the back of the library in Hammerfest, the gang has gathered on a Sunday afternoon. Photo: Jo Hermstad Tronsen / news The game is basically about choosing a character in a fantasy universe, and then exploring it together with the others you play with. It can be anything from a barbarian warrior, to a flame-controlling mage. In the game, they have lost their way down a long cave, they arrive at a closed door. After much discussion about what could be behind this door, they decide to tear it down. Marius, who is a barbarian, has been given that task. It’s the dice that decide if they have enough power to knock it down. Getting to know each other can seem much easier when you can be in a role as someone other than yourself, the gang believes. Photo: Jo Hermstad Tronsen / news Marius pulls the dice, which add up to 34. – You tear down the door, and it turns out that this door was not closed in a normal way, it is bricked up again, and you hear some uneasy sounds that may resemble insects. Narrated by Tommy René Thomte. The player group gets restless. – Yes, then we just have to run? the gang laughs. Has also produced results outside the role-playing game Solving such fictional problems together with others means that you can get to know each other more quickly, Brøvik believes. Taking part in role-playing has had positive consequences for him. This led to him making new friends. – One of the people I play with has turned out to also like Formula 1, so it happens that we can watch it together. According to Brøvik, the new role-play group has led to him gaining a social network in Hammerfest. – Then I don’t have to sit alone in the apartment all day and drive. It gives the opportunity to get out. Marius Brøvik, Emil Isaksen Egnes and Niklas Isaksen Egnes and in the far corner sits Tord Karlsen. Lots of laughter, jokes and, not least, sweets are shared over the gaming table. Photo: Jo Hermstad Tronsen / news Healthy social training In recent years, several surveys have come out, which show that young adults and students are becoming increasingly lonely, this peaked during the corona pandemic. For adults and young adults, there is a lot of shame associated with loneliness and not having friends. Psychologist and game developer Gaute Godager believes that taking on a role can help with socialisation. Photo: RUNE HAMMERSTAD / RUNE HAMMERSTAD – If you want to find an outlet for the social needs that all people have, physical meetings are needed, says psychologist Gaute Godager, he believes that role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons where you meet face to face work well. – You play with who you are. According to Godager, more and more people think that the social is challenging. – They may think it is scary to show off, to play with different emotions or to assert themselves. – The good thing about role-playing is that you can actually play with these feelings and these different relationships without it being dangerous. More and more people are doing just that. In regular table games, six-sided dice are used. But in DnD you use dice with up to 20 sides. Photo: Jo Hermstad Tronsen / news Godager believes that such play, as you do in Dungeons and Dragons, is a kind of extension of the role-playing you do as a child. – Then you practice various social activities. It’s one of the healthiest things you can do socially, and it’s the opposite of sitting alone with a mobile phone. A social leader The role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons takes place mainly in the form of narration, which requires a game leader, the leader is responsible for the story and the progression of the adventure. Any actions in the game are determined by twenty sided dice. Tommy René Thomte is a librarian at Hammerfest library, he leads this group. Tommy René Thomte has control that the players follow the story. Photo: Jo Hermstad Tronsen / news He thinks Dungeons and Dragons is a great way to get in touch with new people. – People are interested in the game, then you have something to start from if you want to get to know new people. – It is a social game, therefore I feel that it is my job as a game leader to encourage the social around the table and to work together to solve the tasks.
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Uses role-playing games such as DnD to make friends and avoid being lonely – news Troms and Finnmark
