Reading, Dyslexia, and the fine art that is Dungeons & Dragons

 



Up until 2011 reading has been an integral part of life for me. Even today I still struggle with reading. There are a combination of different reasons for today's issues concerning my current status. But I had found in reading a way to escape the aggravations of my education shortcomings. There are things in life that we do because we have to, and this was my biggest conflict with the modern American education system. Learning wasn't about what we wanted to do, or what we wanted to know. The entire system is designed so that everyone has the same level of Education once they exit High School. As far as mass education goes this may be a good thing, but what is happening to our artists, our musicians, our writers of great literature? Most of these people throughout history have flourished because of the latitude they had in their lives to express their innate ability to learn and grow through whatever craft they chose. Todays world is centered on everyone fitting into the box or the cookie-cutter mold of what life is supposed to be. Real growth, attainable Beauty through the expression of our chosen passion, can only be attained when the mind is allowed to explore the depths of imagination unhindered. Social norms and laws must be adhered to. It is simply a part of civilized society. But there has to be somewhere for these Beautiful Minds to expand and press the boundaries of their imagination in order for creativity to find its proper place within the individual and be expressed that others may enjoy it.

So what is all this dribble about? It's hard to explain the role that Dungeons & Dragons has played in my life over 40 years of teenage and adulthood experiences. There are many outlets today through video games, movies, social media, for the expression of the imagination to this type of escapism. For that is what all fantasy is actually about. Where do we escape from what we as individuals may perceive as a not so wonderful life? For me it's the realm of Dungeons and Dragons through medieval fantasy and science fiction. Video games have taken away a lot of the intimate interaction between players by eliminating much of the imagination that is involved in the original Dungeons & Dragons game.

Dungeons & Dragons

My first experience with Dungeons & Dragons was in Middle School. The same group of boys who hung out at school during the week, and plodded around the forest on the weekends either as boy scouts or just as friends, had become very close through our shared experiences. One set of brothers were preachers kids. I wish I could adequately explain the rambunctious nature of these two boys when they misbehaved. Perhaps I will elaborate upon them on a different post. However, their father, the local United Methodist preacher, was always able to give the most inspiring, inflaming, constructive sermon on Sunday mornings. This very talented man was also our first dungeon master. You would think being a man of God that he would resist the temptation to indulge in such things as Flights of Fancy especially involving Wizardry, Witchcraft, and Sorcery. But this man turned out to be much more then just a preacher. He was connecting with a group of boys through fantasy and taught us many valuable lessons through the use of this game, concerning real life. There were others at school who found out we were playing Dungeons and Dragons after school and on weekends, and that's when we became the real nerd group of our community. But none of us cared. The sense of camaraderie and belonging; it was unlike anything I had ever known. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, as mentioned I have a twin brother and a sister. And while they have always been very supportive, I have not always been what would be considered the best of sibling. The difficulties that I encountered while in school with my education bled over into our home life. I was the cause of much strife and difficulty within our home due to my inability to see the world the way most people do. I have to give props to my brother and sister though, they didn't kill me. LOL

To the parents out there who are struggling with trying to find ways to get your kids away from the video console, especially your kids who are struggling with their education because of learning disabilities, as I did in my youth, board games are a way to engage with your children, not only on an intellectual level, but in order to ignite their imagination. Imagination is one of the key ingredients to happiness in life. It can motivate people to become more than they are. But as with any other aspects of life, you have to exercise. Yes, you have to exercise your imagination or as with your body it can become stagnant and atrophy. There are several interactive games that have been inspired out of the original world of Dungeons and Dragons. One of them is called Warhammer. Not only is this a strategy game akin to Dungeons & Dragons and the game Risk, it adds the component of building your own models and painting them to your own desire giving you the ability of expression through art. Both sides of this game, the creation of the models and painting them to express yourself, as well as the epic battles that can be played out on the table top, can give an enormous sense of accomplishment in a world where finding a place of accomplishment can seem almost impossible.



Warhammer

One of the most difficult things to do when struggling with dyslexia is to find inspiration to actually sit down and read. In a previous post I mentioned how medieval fiction as well as science fiction really captured my imagination. Reading these stories gave me inspiration on how to interact within these games. Not only was I using my imagination, but I was reading the rule books and the monster manuals to understand what my limitations were concerning my character within the game.

In the world of learning disabilities, finding a niche that matches your personality is a very difficult thing to do. As a parent I've always struggled with trying to connect with my children as individuals instead of as merely my offspring. My youngest is 18 tomorrow. I will soon be within this empty nest wondering where it all went. My youngest wasn't interested in dungeon and Dragons. I connect with him through different means. But for a while my middle two children and I engaged with their friends through Dungeons & Dragons. It has really helped me strengthen my relationship with them. I hope that those who reflect upon this post may find a way to connect with their children to build stronger relationships that can help them cope with the rigorous and domineering Society that we are forced to live in today.

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