Have you ever wished you could be a completely different person? As someone who has been playing different types of games, including D&D and video games, for over 40 yrs I can attest to how this can feel. In a world where technology increasingly shapes our relationships and sense of self, the creation of video game characters — whether in MMORPGs like Final Fantasy XIV, immersive VR platforms, or classic tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons — has become far more than entertainment. It's a powerful tool for self-expression, personal development, and even therapeutic growth.
Crafting the Digital Self: Identity Formation and Aspiration
Character creation allows individuals, whether teens or adults, to explore facets of their personality in ways that feel both safe and empowering. In MMOs and VR environments, players often create avatars that either mirror their real-world identity or reflect who they aspire to be — stronger, bolder, more empathetic. This process offers a unique avenue for exploring strengths, values, and hidden desires.
For example, in Final Fantasy XIV, many players create characters that express gender fluidity, personal courage, or leadership traits they may be developing in real life. The freedom to customize appearance, race, class, and skills allows for a rich exploration of identity that can help build confidence offline as well.
Psychologists suggest that this kind of digital self-representation can be essential for developing self-concept, especially during formative years (Ratan et al., 2020).
Connection Beyond the Screen: Building Social Bonds
Games that involve shared character creation and storytelling, like Dungeons & Dragons or VR co-op adventures foster genuine human connection. Players collaborate to solve problems, build narratives, and achieve goals, practicing real-world communication skills in the process.
Real-life connections can grow from gaming too. I’ve been lucky to build friendships through World of Warcraft that have lasted over 15 years. Over time, I’ve met many of my guildmates in person while traveling across the country. I attended a wedding with several of them, watched one play in their band, and even caught a fantastic show in NYC with another. Today, a few of these once-"online friends" showed up at my house to help me pack for my upcoming move across the country. I used to say my friends lived in my computer — now they’re truly part of my real life.
Tabletop RPGs like D&D have also been used therapeutically — groups like Game to Grow, a nonprofit organization, run D&D sessions specifically designed to help kids and teens build social skills, manage anxiety, and connect with peers. Similarly, VR social platforms such as VRChat provide spaces where users create avatars and form communities, helping many who feel isolated in the physical world to experience belonging.
These experiences become training grounds for empathy, teamwork, and social reasoning — skills crucial for personal and professional success.
Strategic Thinking and Cognitive Development
Character-driven games aren’t just about emotional growth; they also enhance strategic thinking and cognitive flexibility. In Dungeons & Dragons, building a character requires players to make complex decisions balancing abilities, backstory, team roles, and long-term campaign goals. Similarly, MMORPGs like World of Warcraft demand high-level planning for group raids, requiring players to anticipate others’ actions, optimize resources, and adapt to ever-changing scenarios.
Even VR games like Population: One challenge players to make tactical decisions in real-time while coordinating with teammates across a virtual battlefield.
These cognitive processes mirror those used in leadership, business strategy, and collaborative work environments — making gaming an unexpected but valuable training ground for systems thinking, adaptability, and long-term planning.
Mental Health Benefits: Gamified Healing
While I have not personally used all of these myself with clients or personally, the principles behind character-driven games are increasingly being adapted into mental health treatment, particularly through mobile apps and VR platforms.
Innerworld VR, a peer-led mental health platform in virtual reality, allows users to create avatars and attend cognitive-behavioral support groups, social events, and guided self-help sessions. Early studies show it helps users feel less isolated and more empowered to work on their mental health.
Apps like MindShift CBT offer gamified anxiety management, using personalized avatars and interactive challenges to help teens and young adults practice coping strategies.
Another innovative example is DeepWell Digital Therapeutics, a company creating video games designed explicitly to treat depression and anxiety, blending entertainment with evidence-based therapy.
Moreover, therapists are now using Dungeons & Dragons in clinical settings to support adolescents with autism, trauma, or social anxiety, creating characters who overcome obstacles and develop resilience — a powerful metaphor for real-life growth.
Research shows that when individuals create a version of themselves that feels strong, hopeful, and capable — even in a virtual space — it can influence real-world mood, behavior, and self-efficacy (Ratan et al., 2020; Wiederhold & Riva, 2019).
Why It Matters
At a time when identity, connection, and mental wellness are more critical than ever, recognizing the deeper power of character creation — in games, in VR, and in therapeutic apps — is crucial. It's not escapism; it's exploration. It's healing. It's hope.
Whether through a heroic Paladin in a D&D campaign, a sleek VR avatar soaring through fantastical worlds, or a carefully crafted MMO character leading a guild, people of all ages are using these platforms to write their own stories — and in doing so, to build stronger, healthier, and more connected versions of themselves.
References
Ratan, R. A., Beyea, D., Li, B. J., & Graciano, L. (2020). Avatar Characteristics Induce Users' Behavior: A Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis of the Proteus Effect. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 25(4), 290–304. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmaa014
Wiederhold, B. K., & Riva, G. (2019). Virtual reality therapy: Emerging topics and future challenges. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 22(1), 3–6.
Yee, N. (2006). The Demographics, Motivations, and Derived Experiences of Users of Massively Multi-User Online Graphical Environments. PRESENCE: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 15(3), 309–329.