A certified therapist with a PhD in human development is using Dragon Age and other video games to teach lessons about emotional growth on YouTube and TikTok. Ryan Earl, who goes by the screenname Dr Mick on social media, believes RPGs and other character-driven games are a helpful vehicle for teaching lessons about communication and understanding others, and his most recent example is Dragon Age (thanks, PC Gamer).
Earl started gaining popularity when Mass Effect Legendary Edition launched in 2021 and gained a following by playing the game from an analytical perspective, using his knowledge and experience as a therapist to inform his decisions. It was a hit with viewers, so Earl expanded to Red Dead Redemption 2, The Last of Us, and other popular games, but decided his next stream would be something different: Dragon Quest Origins, a game he only played once in 2009.
@drmicktok Reading anxiety by observing pattern change with Sten. #mentalhealth #dragonageorigins #dragonage #bioware #licensedtherapist
Earl hoped the combination of genuine reactions from a newcomer’s perspective and the lack of morality and ethical tags in DAO’s dialogue would lead to something special, and he was right. Earl used examples such as Sten’s seemingly aggressive confrontation with the Grey Wardens to explain the significance of understanding someone else’s position and Alistair preferring to follow than lead as a talking point about the strength of recognizing our own needs, even if they don’t match up with the expectations of others.
His YouTube streams attracted such a dedicated following that some viewers left en masse when he mistakenly incited Wynne to attack him at a crucial point in the game, but he refused to restart and make things right.
“Videogames in some ways teach bad boundaries,” he said. “They teach people to triangulate themselves in issues and get involved in stuff they shouldn’t get involved in. I think it’s important to know that’s happening in video games because that’s not really how you should operate in real life.”
We’ll probably have to wait a while to see what Earl would make of Baldur’s Gate 3. He’s recently finished Origins’ DLC and is likely going to continue with more Dragon Age next.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
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