Game to Grow has continued its pilot program bringing RPG groups to hospitalized youth, and we continue to receive powerful feedback about the impact of our program. This feedback came from youth at the Methodist Children’s Hospital in San Antonio, TX.
You can see the last post about our hospital program here.
We’ve been regularly teleconferencing in with groups of hospitalized youth, each of whom joins the group from their hospital bed using in iPad. After every session we ask for feedback to make sure our groups have an impact and to see how we can improve our program. Below are some recent feedback we’ve received.
Some of the feedback points out specific memorable moments. This player remembered some very silly interactions between their fellow players.
I really enjoyed when I was saved by my comrade.
It was funny when someone made a theme song for Grognak.
This player appreciated how playing the lively Critical Core story helped lift their spirits.
One thing someone else did that I really enjoyed was when Adam (Clang) used a different voice when his character was talking. It really made the story come to life.
A highlight I’ll take away is when I realized that no matter how tough things may get, a smile, a true, genuine smile, can lift your spirits.
This player spoke about how rare it was to leave their room, and how special it was to be able to connect with other kids.
I thought that the event was fun because we don’t get to leave our rooms often.
Yes I would [play again] because being able to talk with other kids is fun.
This player enjoyed the ability to connect with other kids and experience the vivid storytelling. They’ll continue to be an RPG player!
Overall, I thought the event was very enjoyable. I’ve always thought D&D was a bit awkward, (especially in the beginning) however the Game Master kept it lively. I do not feel as though I was in a Zoom meeting, I could vividly picture the game with all the details provided.
Honestly, I would love to play it again. I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing D&D, whilst interacting with others. I was glad to see some new faces, seeing as I can’t leave my room.
Not every player ends the session eager to play more RPGs. This player had a good time being silly with other kids, but doesn’t need any more RPGs. We appreciate their honesty!
I thought the event was cool cause we saw other kids in the hospital.
No [I would not play again], because it’s not my type of game but, it was a neat concept to see other kids.
Ultimately, the reason why we do this work is wrapped up in this one particular piece of feedback:
I really like the idea of seeing other kids in their situation. It makes me feel less alone.
We do this work in hospitals because we want to bring these moments of authentic social play to youth who in many cases have been stuck in their hospital rooms for long periods of time. They have visitation limits. Many miss their friends and loved ones who aren’t able to visit them and give them the sense of companionship and camaraderie that they they need. When we play together, we help them escape, even briefly, their hospital rooms and allow them to inhabit the story of a hero. They join together with other kids for a moment of revelry and take back with them the moments of shared laughter and triumph. Some players have even connected after the game ended to share art they’d created based on the story they played together.
This program is brand new, and we see the power it has. We’re working to expand this program so even more hospitalized youth can experience the joys of a well-played game with new friends.
Visit our support page to see how you can help us reach more kids.
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