Lorna Breen

Topic

Once Upon a Table: A Qualitative Examination of the Effects of Tabletop Role-Playing Games on Gender and Sexual Identity Development and Romantic Relationships Among Members of the LGBTQ2S+ Community

Department of Psychology

Date & location

• Thursday, August 13, 2026

• 10:00 A.M.

• Clearihue Building

• Room B021

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Erica Woodin, Department of Psychology, University of Victoria (Supervisor)

• Dr. Megan Ames, Department of Psychology, UVic (Member)

• Dr. Jentery Sayers, Department of English, UVic (Outside Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Matthew Orr, Department of Psychology, Acadia University 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Benjamin Anderson-Sackaney, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, UVic 

Abstract

This dissertation examined the psychosocial contributions of tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs) as sites for identity exploration, personal growth, relationship building, and community and political engagement among members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Two-Spirit, Plus (LGBTQ2S+) community across two exploratory qualitative studies. Drawing on complementary theoretical perspectives from positive LGBTQ2S+ identity research and critical queer and feminist theory, I centered the strengths and resources that LGBTQ2S+ individuals cultivate through the navigation of their identities and relationships, and positioned TRPGs as a potentially significant but largely unexamined context in which these processes might unfold. Across both studies, I employed reflexive thematic analysis to generate themes from my datasets. In Study 1, I utilized a digital ethnographic approach to generate and analyze a dataset of anonymous online public posts (N = 211) across four social media platforms authored by self-identified LGBTQ2S+ youth, young adults, and adults (N = 199). My analysis generated five overarching themes pertaining to the role of TRPGs in gender and sexual identity development: (1) Player/Character: Dynamic Identity Expression, Exploration, and Experimentation Through Role-Play, (2) In the Closet and at the Table: Navigating Safety and Visibility While Playing TRPGs, (3) Our Stories, Our Selves: Enactment and Embodiment of Possibility Through Fantasy Role-Play, (4) Slaying the Cisheteropatriarchy: Exerting Agency, Power, and Resistance Through TRPGs, and (5) “Dungeons & Dragons Kept Me Alive”: Personal Significance and Impact of TRPGs on Life and Well-Being. In Study 2, ten self identified LGBTQ2S+ couples (N = 20) who play TRPGs together completed semi-structured dyadic interviews and individual post-interview surveys. My analysis generated five overarching themes encapsulating the contributions of couples’ shared TRPG experiences to their romantic relationships: (1) We’ve Got Each Other’s Backs: Navigating Safety, Vulnerability, and Building Trust Through TRPGs, (2) I See You, You See Me: Deepening Emotional Intimacy, Understanding, and Connection Through TRPGs, (3) The “We” Factor: Enhancing and Expressing Couple Identity and Cohesion Through TRPGs, (4) Partner, Know Thyself: Exploration and Expansion of Individual Identity and Self-Concept Through TRPGs, and (5) We in the World: TRPGs as Tools for Shared Social and Community Engagement. In an integrative discussion, I synthesize the collective implications of my analyses within the current socio political landscape and reflect on the significance of imaginative play, relational connection, and joy as acts of resistance in the lives of LGBTQ2S+ individuals and their communities.