Tabletop gaming is a great way to get together with friends and family. Aside from unlocking everyone’s imagination and getting the chance to be lost in magical, fantastical worlds for a little while, games like Dungeons and Dragons are also beneficial for our mental health.
We’ve previously written about the power of roleplaying in D&D in a world where isolation and digital distraction are all too common. Aside from helping form solid bonds between pals and loved ones, D&D can also be a great time for self-reflection and fostering empathy, helping players discover and appreciate each other’s complexity and depth of personalities.
Still, going digital isn’t all bad. Nowadays, digital tabletop gaming has become a popular venture for tabletop lovers who may be too far apart from each other to set up regular sessions. Games like Dungeon Full Dive allow immersive digital tabletop roleplaying, featuring full customization of characters and maps to help players create their own digital roleplaying playground. This includes fully customizable miniature sets, as well as mechanic and stat integration with the official Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition handbook. Players can alter their character sheets in-game, and future upgrades may include tools from other TTRPG systems.
Whether you enjoy traditional tabletop roleplaying or love the convenience of digital tools, games, and apps, it’s important to take care of your eye health. Games like Dungeons & Dragons need the utmost visual clarity between the dice rolls and measuring player distances to ensure top-notch enjoyment and prevent miscommunication among players and Dungeon Masters.
Below, we’ll be sharing eye health tips for digital and tabletop gamers:
Wearing glasses
One of the best ways to maintain your eye health is to use proper eyewear. For those who need glasses for vision correction, wearing prescription eyewear ensures you can see everything going on in-game clearly. If you haven’t updated your prescription, you can get an eye test and a new pair of prescription glasses. Oakley’s Holbrook model boasts simple black frames with flat arms. This makes them comfortable for extended use if you’re hosting a campaign using digital tools and games, meaning you must wear a headset to communicate with other players. Of course, wearing glasses also helps you see real-life tabletop elements much more clearly, from dice rolls to details in your miniature.
If most of your D&D or tabletop campaign is held digitally, you can also consider upgrading to blue light glasses, which help reduce blue light exposure from digital screens and LED lights. In April, Gunnar Optiks launched the brand’s new Clear Pro Lenses, which feature clear blue-light-filtering lenses offering perfect color rendition if you prefer being more immersed in your digital campaigns.
Proper lighting
Another way to take good care of your eye health is to ensure you play in a well-lit environment, whether on a real-life tabletop setup or digitally. If you have a special gaming or entertainment room, investing in smart lighting can help elevate the look of the space while boosting immersion throughout gameplay. In 2022, smart lighting brand Nanoleaf partnered with gaming peripheral company Corsair, allowing users to design and customize their space in creative and unique ways. While you can always settle for the usual gamer RGB hues, you can also set your smart lighting to adjust to specific roleplaying situations, from boss fights to random encounters.
When it comes to lighting your tabletop setups, the right lighting arrangement can ensure everyone will be able to see tabletop elements clearly at all times without having to squint or strain. Of course, you can always play around with colors to better highlight roleplaying situations as well — just make sure that everyone has a clear vision of everything going on at all times for better transparency.
Take breaks
Finally, it’s also important to take frequent breaks during your gameplay — whether digitally or with miniatures. While rest times and breaks will largely depend on your Dungeon Master and the rules your group initially agreed on, you should also practice taking personal breaks when you can. When playing digitally, this will help give your eyes a rest and help mitigate possible symptoms like eye strain and fatigue. When playing in real life, taking breaks allows you to take a breather from the intensity of the gameplay. D&D campaigns can run for as long as the campaign and Dungeon Master need them to, so taking breaks is essential.
Even if you’re the one playing Dungeon Master and hosting your own campaign, it’s still important to know when to step away from the game once in a while. Taking regular breaks helps you stay focused and alert throughout gameplay, which will enable you to better respond to in-game situations and unexpected outcomes. To keep things organized, you can also alternate between short, frequent breaks and longer breaks.
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