D&D for Teens: Games for High School Students
No D&D club in your high school? No problem. Teens with geeky interests can forge friendships through our online games for high schoolers, and learn a new hobby that works offline, too.
Finding the Right Friend Group Can Change Everything.
If your interests are even a little outside the mainstream, middle and high school can feel pretty lonely. The truth is that there are tons of teens who are dying to play D&D, geek out about their fandoms, and support each other’s interests. They just need a place to connect.
Our online D&D games are accessible to teens throughout North America. All you need is an internet connection to get started. No commute, plus a variety of afternoon and evening start times, makes it easier to squeeze a weekly game into a packed schedule of school, extracurriculars, homework, and general teen life.
And unlike another obligation on the calendar, D&D is something they can look forward to each week.
“My normally hissing, hormonal 13-year-old comes out of this group session every week smiling and animated. It’s such an awesomely therapeutic thing in disguise—kids are surely so much more receptive to this than some lame social skills group.”
What’s D&D, and Why is it Great for Teens?
Dungeons & Dragons, also called D&D, is different than most games teenagers play: it’s not a video game, and it’s not a traditional board game either.
Instead, it’s like a choose-your-own-adventure story brought to life.
Players create characters and help them navigate a fantasy world, making choices that shape what happens next in the story. A facilitator, called a Dungeon Master, sets the scene, but players decide where to go and what to do.
D&D is great for teens because there’s something in it for everyone: improv and roleplay for the theater kids, mythical creatures and lore for the fantasy readers, and strategic combat for gamers and problem-solvers.
Players are welcome to incorporate their favorite fandoms and genres into the game. No matter your niche interest, you can find a community of D&D players who share your passion.
Play with Peers, Not Random Adults
Sure, your high school player might be savvy enough to join an adult game at the local game store. But is that going to be the most fun or comfortable place to play? Even when the game itself is a great fit, the social experience can be very different when your child is the only teenager at the table.
We find that teens tend to have the most fun (and make the most friends) when they’re gaming with peers close to their own age, in an environment that understands teen culture, while keeping games safe and age-appropriate.
If your family doesn’t have easy access to local D&D for teens, our online groups might be a great option. Our afternoon, evening, and weekend games meet for 90 minutes to replicate the feel of a traditional extracurricular activity (while saving time in the day for homework).
Our teen players range in age from 13 to 18. We do our best to match players within a few years of each other in age, while also taking interests and gaming style into account. Because our players come from a wide variety of locations, groups can be a fun opportunity to meet other teens with shared interests from across the US and internationally. Our games are designed for players of all experience levels, so no worries if your teen hasn’t played much D&D before.
What Sets Us Apart:
A great gaming group isn’t just about putting a bunch of teenagers in the same virtual room. Here’s how we make it happen.
Who Runs Our Games at Young Dragonslayers?
Young Dragonslayers was founded in 2020 by Katie Lear, a licensed clinical mental health counselor, drama therapist, and play therapist.
Katie works with kids and teens, and during the pandemic she saw many of her clients struggling with being cut off from friends and peers. She started an online D&D group for kids as an antidote for pandemic loneliness…and never stopped playing.
What began as one small group has grown into a thriving community, with some of our very first players still joining us years later.
Today, our Game Masters come from a variety of backgrounds, including education, counseling, healthcare, professional acting, gaming, and youth development. They have true geek bona fides, plus a passion for working with kids.
Every Game Master completes our screening process, including background checks and interviews. They receive onboarding training and ongoing support, and love to nerd out together about the shenanigans our players get up to every week.
The Benefits of Playing D&D with High School Students
Just because kids become teenagers doesn’t mean their need for play totally disappears. Teenagers (and adults!) still need playful opportunities for creative expression, social bonding, and just plain blowing off steam. D&D is great for this, and features some well-researched social and emotional benefits baked right into the game.
We don’t turn our games into group therapy or social skills lessons. But just by playing the game, teens who participate in D&D have a chance to practice important life skills, like:
Leadership skills
Assertive communication
Conflict resolution
Frustration tolerance
Growth mindset
Best of all, the skills practiced in-game can be applied out-of-game, too. You’re not just learning to negotiate with a powerful wizard; you’re learning to negotiate, period. Many families report seeing these skills show up in real-life more often after playing roleplaying games.
Because D&D players work together rather than against each other, everyone is a needed and valued member of the team. Each character has important skills and ideas to share that influence the outcome of the game and help the party succeed. Because of this, D&D is a natural way for teens to explore their sense of self, boost self-esteem, and improve their confidence over time.
Real D&D, Designed for Teens
Teenagers are ready to play real, grown-up D&D, using the regular adult rule set. At Young Dragonslayers, we offer challenging gameplay with content that still hovers around a PG-13 rating. This gives everyone plenty of room to explore more nuanced characters as well as darker, more complex subjects while still ensuring everyone feels comfortable playing the game.
After 6 years in business and over 3,000 sessions, we’re pretty good at walking the line between giving teens the freedom to play a genuinely fun, sophisticated D&D game and creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable and included.
Our facilitators understand teen culture and know how to keep a game engaging without letting the content or humor get too mature for the players at the table. The result is D&D that feels grown-up without asking teens to navigate an adult gaming environment.
Our groups are designed to be welcoming, inclusive spaces for all teens. We strive to create an affirming environment for our LGBTQ+ players and provide support and accommodations when needed to help neurodivergent players thrive.
Each group creates its own ground rules together, giving players a voice in shaping the kind of community they want to build. We share pronouns, provide accommodations when we can, and encourage players to respect and celebrate each other’s differences.
Most importantly, we want every teen who joins us to know they belong at the table. We’ve found that our teen players take their responsibility to each other really seriously. Whoever decided that teen friendships are prone to drama clearly never played D&D.
LGBTQ+ & Neurodiversity-Affirming Gaming
What Parents Say About Teen DND at Young Dragonslayers
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Most teens are ready to start playing Dungeons & Dragons using the full adult rule set, although some D&D adventures intended for adults may include age-inappropriate content.
In addition to understanding the rules of the game, teen players should be developmentally ready to collaborate with peers, cope with minor setbacks, and remain focused on the game during sessions. No academic skills are required to play beyond basic math and reading, and we can accommodate players with dylexia, dyscalculia, or other challenges.
At Young Dragonslayers, our teen games are designed for players ages 13-18. We limit sessions to 90 minutes to help players stay engaged, keep group sizes small, and match players with peers close in age. We keep our content to a PG-13 rating, avoiding overly mature themes while still having fun. -
Joining a Young Dragonslayers group is simple! Start by completing our pre-registration form and telling us about your child’s interests, experience, and play style. Our team will get to know your child and help match them with a group that’s a great fit.
-
Online D&D can be a great way for kids to be creative and make friends, but safety should be a priority in any online activity. Games are safest when they’re supervised by trusted adults on a private platform.
At Young Dragonslayers, we monitor our games for signs of bullying and inappropriate peer interactions. We ensure privacy by getting to know every player before they join our games. Our Game Masters are background checked and experienced in working with teens.
Our campaigns take place in a private, invite-only environment (Zoom or a secure Discord server) where players (and parents) know who they’ll be adventuring with each week. -
That is the case for many of our players! It can be hard to find opportunities to play in person, so many teens arrive with some general knowledge but little experience. Our games are built for beginners, and players aren’t expected to have every rule memorized in advance. The best way to learn is to get started!
-
We welcome D&D experts! If your teen has played a ton or been relegated to the role of “Forever DM” running sessions for friends, we have games tailored to their skill level. We group players based not just by age, but personality, play style, and experience level, too.
-
First, we meet with each teen and a parent or caregiver so we can get to know them and answer any questions they have. Next, players have the option to participate in a Trial Game to see what online D&D is like. Finally, we use our magical sorting hat (okay, just our brains) to pick the best group for each player based on their age, experience level, interests, and schedule.
-
Yes! Many of our players are neurodivergent. Our team has experience adapting games for kids with autism, ADHD, anxiety, and learning differences. We'll ask about your teenager’s support needs during our initial call, and we'll be honest if we don't think we're the right fit for them.
-
Players will need a quiet place to play, a computer with a webcam and microphone, a stable internet connection, and the latest version of Zoom. Laptops and desktop computers work better than phones. No dice, books, or other gear are needed: we can take care of all that online!
-
Sessions are 90 minutes long and groups meet once a week. We’ve found that 90 minutes is the sweet teen games: long enough to make meaningful progress in the story, but short enough to keep players engaged and save time for homework and other extracurriculars. Our campaigns run in quarterly terms, with each term including ten sessions of gameplay (except summer, which includes five sessions).
Ready to Get Started?
Let’s Roll.
We’re excited you’d like to try D&D for Teens with Young Dragonslayers! Getting started is simple:
Tell us about your teen by completing our pre-registration form.
Meet with our team so we can learn about your child’s interests, experience, and play style.
We’ll help your child find the right adventuring party and get ready for their first session.