Unlock the healing power of gaming for veterans’ mental health with "Rolling for Recovery."
Veterans face unique mental health challenges like PTSD, depression, and social anxiety struggles that can feel isolating and overwhelming. In this inspiring guide, Navy veteran Victor Mitchell explores how gaming - whether tabletop role-playing, strategy games or online multiplayer - can foster community, rebuild routines and promote emotional healing.
Discover practical strategies for keeping gaming authentic and impactful without veering into clinical territory. Learn how structured storytelling frameworks like TSAG (Transformative Story Arc Guidance) help veterans grow self-awareness, resilience, and trust. Filled with real stories and evidence-based insights, "Rolling for Recovery" shows how worlds built in games can serve as safe spaces for growth, connection and recovery.
A must-read for veterans, caregivers, therapists and supporters who believe in the transformative magic of play and the power of community to heal.
Rolling for Recovery: Why Gaming Helps Veterans' Mental Health
April 6, 2026
About the author:
The author is a lifelong gamer with over 40 years of experience across a wide spectrum of gaming genres and communities. For more than two decades, they have intentionally used tabletop role-playing games, most notably "Dungeons & Dragons," as tools to support individuals facing mental health challenges, with a particular focus on military veterans coping with PTSD, social anxiety, depression and anger management.
A U.S. Navy veteran, the author personally faced many of these same struggles after military service. Through gaming, they discovered not only a powerful coping mechanism but also a means of connection, purpose and healing. That discovery became a mission: to help fellow veterans find strength, community and resilience through structured, supportive gaming experiences.
The author has presented seminars and workshops at major gaming conventions, including Gen Con, educating attendees on the therapeutic potential of gaming for mental health and community building. Their work and programs have been featured in multiple articles highlighting the intersection of gaming, peer support and veteran wellness.
In addition to advocacy and education, the author has spent over 10 years serving as a “Costume Corpsman,” a cosplay repair specialist who assists cosplayers with costume construction, emergency repairs and problem-solving at the same conventions where they teach. They are also a blacksmith with more than 40 years of hands-on experience, blending craftsmanship, creativity and mentorship into their work.
Their gaming interests span tabletop RPGs, MMORPGs such as Project Gorgon and Star Trek Online, and countless other genres. Married with three grown children and six grandchildren, the author enjoys reading, building, teaching and continuing to explore how games can foster healing, connection and personal growth. They are a member of Post 400 in Orlando.
