Ty Smith : A Story of Healing Through Gameplay- Mental Health Awareness Month TTRPG Project
Ty Smith: A Story of Healing Through Gameplay
As part of mental health awareness month we are highlighting stories of healing through TTRPG'S.
Today we have the Story of Ty Smith, one of the grandest and most passionate advocates and D&D players I know.
My story starts when I was young, and I got my first diagnosis of Sensory Integration Disorder. The treatment at the time was to take a surgical sponge with stiff bristles and rub it as hard and fast as possible in the hopes of creating new neural pathways. My reaction was less desirable, and I spent most of my life after that in the mental health system.
When in the hospital, the only comfort, the only peace of my world, I was allowed to take into the hospital with me was Collectible Card games known as Magic: The Gathering. In a place of crises stripped of all my loved ones and no comfort, the only piece of my world was my cards, and I was grateful to have them.
But I lived in Treatment centers, I went to school in treatment centers, and the only socialization I was allowed to do was in groups. I was not allowed to have a friend until I was 18 years old, and the only thoughts I had reinforced in my mind were how I hurt people.
For roughly the last 14 years, I’ve been using games to find out who I really am. To break through all the noises that the system planted into my head, to test boundaries and learn common social skills I was never given a chance to develop when I was younger. I know I’m alone, that many people use games to find who they are or to outline the good of who they are by being a little dark in a fantasy setting.
I first started playing D&D 3.5 when a school bus driver invited me to his game. I had fun and been in a few games since most ended poorly until I found a wonderful Discord community. I find that to be a powerful tool, but that is only a small part of gaming potential, now that there is more ways to make it accessible than ever before, customizing atomization with creativity there are tools that assist with just about everything allowing the tical of rolling heavily dice seeing it role and al the formulas that at one point made it hard some to play just answered automatically!
My community is taking gaming to the next level by making their own system! Their games frequently have tons of Homebrew added in, but they do a good job balancing so everyone is strong as they want to be, and the suffering is all the same!
There are programs to help with storytelling, 3D printers so you can make your own characters, adventure, or even a game! We live in a wondrous age that crosses imagination with technology to support what we choose, but by giving all players a space, we can all enjoy! For the first time, really in my life, I’m able to be authentic to myself, developing healthy boundaries and wonderful friendships thanks to a game that allows me to practice skills I never had as a child and an adolescent.
#gameplay #storiesheal #motivatingplay #storiesmatter