Role-playing games, harmless?
The eminent psychologist Bruner, has conveyed to us the importance of the game for the evolution of the imagination and as a vehicle for teaching the rules that govern the community.
It is an essential recreational activity in development. It fosters integration and underlies freedom of choice.
In role-playing games, players design their own adventures, assume the role of a character who must achieve the goal set, complying with the rules of the character, those imposed by the referee or game director and those marked by chance by throwing the dice.
Role-playing games can be on the table or live.
The fantastic medieval theme was its origin, but today we find horror, detective, science fiction, humor, fantastic, futurist, western games ...
There are more realistic ones where the cards and the data are more influential in the decision making (preferred by the younger ones) and more interpretative for those who like more margin of decision.
The age range of the players ranges between 15 and 25 years. In any case, an appropriate age for their practice would be from 12 years of age due to the complexity of the game.
Only naming role plays presage risks and this is because in the collective consciousness there is an echo of some tragic events that were transmitted by the media.
Categorically (and by the investigations carried out) we can assert that role-playing games as such are neutral and harmless. The risk becomes true and real when they are used in excess and from emotional imbalances is sought to derive them to real life.
The problem arises from the risk of sectarianism that can hook children and adolescents, from disengagement from the environment, from the pressure of the group.
A supervision by parents is necessary especially when they are monothematic, some may have discriminatory and destructive content, warlike and violent; as well as the time they spend playing and friendships with those who share this hobby.
A rapprochement of parents with these role-playing games, with their norms, contents, would point them to a more real idea about them and the possible versions and the most appropriate themes for the promotion of educational aspects, creativity, interaction, decision-making, self-control .
In this sense, role-playing games have been developed with the purpose of social intervention with adolescents to prevent drug dependence or as a system to teach and practice values such as respect and tolerance.
There are different games of "role", of assumption of roles, where children (and the least children) are projected into characters with whom they develop their imagination and test their abilities. Moreover, it can be scenarios where children capture their internal conflicts and become aware of them.
It can not be denied that it serves as a source of socialization learning through a system of rules and group play. They promote cooperation.
In exaltation incompatible with other relationships and activities, in the assumption of very rigid rules, in the attempt to bring to real life what is a game, in previous psychopathologies is an undeniable risk, but not specifically attributable to the game of "role "
