Exclusive Content: 2025 Irene Casteel Keynote Lecture

On May 1, Northern Review co-sponsored the third annual Irene Casteel Keynote Lecture, alongside the Irene W. Casteel Endowed Fund, the Committee on Cultural and Special Events, the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, and the Department of Art and Communication. Northern Review provides exclusive full video coverage of the lecture:

The 2025 Irene Casteel lecturer was Megan Connell, PsyD. Connell is a board-certified and practicing psychologist who incorporates table-top role-playing games (TTRPGs) into her therapeutic work. This was the subject of her Irene Casteel lecture, advertised under the title “The Applied Use of Tabletop Role-Playing Games in Therapy: Building Empathy and Relationships while Rolling Dice.”

Heavily supported by academic literature throughout, Connell’s lecture began by defining a few terms. She says that a “game” is, broadly, “an activity that people engage in where they have a clear objective that they find desirable.” This conceptualization of games does not require they always be inherently fun for the player, although they are a form of game. TTRPGs are a special form of game in that they cultivate “The Magic Circle,” which Connell describes as “imaginary barrier between where the rules of the day to day apply versus the rules of the game.” Connell also cites literature justifying the levels of immersion, player agency, and engagement distinctive to TTRPGs.

Next, Connell justifies “Why Gaming Matters” [sic]. She identifies the following major functions of games:

• Teaching Information
• Learning Problem-Solving
• Strategy
• Cooperative Play
• Culture

“There’s a lot of times where we’re missing each other in today’s culture,” she says. Gaming is proposed as a remedy to this social problem.

Connell then considers the therapeutic application of TTRPGs. One major function is in emotional permeability or “bleed,” where the connection between a player and their character builds empathy: “an example is, I’ve had a really bad day…my character is in a really good spot…but I am playing the character as though they are very grumpy.” Conversely, in-game developments can influence character emotion: “we get this rush of adrenaline and this really great victorious feeling.”

Connell also describes a few “safety measures” often employed with TTRPGs. A few options include an “X Card” which any player may use to disrupt the game if they are uncomfortable. Connell uses chips of different colors to conduct a “vibe check” during her TTRPG sessions. Alternative safety measures can determine player boundaries prior to the beginning of a game; options towards this approach include “Lines and Veils” and Monte Cook’s Consent in Gaming. Connell strongly encourages the use of safety measures.

Finally, Connell includes a call to action for further academic research on the effects of TTRPGs: “so much research is needed…this field is growing.”

With the last fifteen minutes allotted to the lecture event, Connell responded to questions from four audience members.

The morning of the Irene Casteel lecture, Connell also provided a guest lecture to one of Megan Clegg-Kraynok, Ph.D.’s psychology classes.

Connell is the co-founder of Health Quest Innovative Therapeutics and author of “Table-Top Role Playing Therapy: A Guide for the Clinician Game Master.” Both endeavors concern therapeutic TTRPGs. Connell has also contributed to Video Games and Well-Being, a volume in Palgrave Studies in Cyberpsychology, alongside 2023 Irene Casteel lecturer Rachel Kowert and Ohio Northern University faculty members Mark Cruea and Shane Tilton.

Northern Review’s exclusive coverage of past Irene Casteel lectures can be found here:

2024: Tobias Buckell, “How Bad Metaphors Hurt Us”

2023: Rachel Kowert, “Moderating the Metaverse”