What is R U OK 2 Play?
R U OK 2 Play? is a nationwide, Australian initiative born from recognising the positive effect that social connections can make, especially for anyone struggling with mental illness, and that playing board games can make it so much less scary to connect with others!
The aim is to get social board-gaming meetups running across the nation for 10 days in September, from the Friday before R U OK? Day, to the Sunday after and to actively encourage people to come along and play, especially those that may be feeling lonely or isolated.
How did R U OK 2 Play? come about?
R U OK 2 Play? was set up by Matthew Stone, who also runs the Ringwood Social Games Community here in Melbourne.
Here’s what Matt has to say:
“My name is Matthew Stone, I’ve battled with mental illness all my life. I’ve self-harmed, have had thoughts of suicide and have also lost a good mate to suicide. I was diagnosed with depression when I was 31 and again when I was 38. If you are not OK for whatever reason, you’re not a freak or a loser because this shit happens to the best of us. It’s OK to not be OK.
I’ve also been a tabletop gamer for most of my life. Being an introvert and mostly uncomfortable with socialising I discovered that a game is an amazing social buffer. I could share an activity and enjoy the company of someone I’d never met before without having to go through all the usual awkward and exhausting standard pleasantries. I could have a laugh with someone who I knew nothing about and look forward to seeing them again the next time. I was able to connect to others honestly with little effort. I’ve made most of my friends and even met my partner gaming. For me, tabletop gaming has been the open door through which I’ve taken those first steps to breaking social isolation, filling a void and making those lasting relationships that humans need.
I love the concept and the sentiment of R U OK? Day but seeing the T-shirts, the cakes, the posters and the social media posts when you’re suffering alone in silence can be a little like having your face rubbed in it. It can also be quite confronting to ask someone how they are and even more difficult to give an honest answer. For these reasons I decided that RUOK? should be more about action than just sentiment alone so I set up R U OK 2 Play?
R U OK 2 Play? is meant as a safe space where people can go to make their own connections or blend in and be part of something and not feel isolated or forced into a purely social situation to meet someone new. It’s my hope that others can experience what I have experienced and brighten their life a little with a game or two and some good company. R U OK 2 Play? is for everyone but especially for those of us who have sat alone, night after night, trapped in their own heads, asking themselves “Is this ever going to get better?”
You might think this is just about tabletop gaming but you’d be wrong. R U OK 2 Play? exists for people to be social, form connections, make friends and to take care of their mental health. Games are just the tool we use to achieve these things.
If you are having a mental health crisis, please go and see your GP, I did and I even took my mum for moral support! After all, how can we get well, how can we help, how can we understand and how can we take care of each other if we don’t talk about it?
I’m OK today, are you OK?”
Creating an R U OK 2 Play? Event
To set up your own R U OK 2 Play? Event you will need to:
Find and book a venue that you can use, ideally during the 10 days in September, from the Friday before R U OK? Day, to the Sunday after.
Gather some games to bring along, and if you can, some volunteers to help teach them and to make everyone welcome!
Access the R U OK 2 Play? Folder on Google Drive for Banner images, posters etc.
Create an event on Facebook, and share it to the R U OK 2 Play? Facebook group . This is the shared space where all events are published, and for everyone to see what’s running! It is better to set up your own event then share it to this group, if you have your own Facebook area.
If you don’t use Facebook for your gaming group, it is still helpful to create an event directly within the R U OK 2 Play? Facebook group if you are able.
In the Facebook group, the event should be titled R U OK 2 Play? Followed by the state and location – this makes it easy for people to scroll and find events relevant to them. For example: R U OK 2 Play? – TAS – Hobart
You can use the following details to populate the ‘what to expect’ section of the event, both for Facebook and for other platforms: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1010682362923266/permalink/1010696422921860/
Join the R U OK 2 Play? Discord at https://discord.gg/YWtp5Jjw73. There is an Organiser’s Lounge channel to raise any questions and for organiser discussions. We will post key updates on the Facebook group also, with the discord more useful for detailed discussions or just to avoid updates getting lost.
If you wish to register your event with the R U OK? charity itself, you can do so here: https://www.ruok.org.au/events
In previous years there has been sponsorship available from some of our wonderful board game distributors here in Australia, and we are hoping and expecting that to be the case this year also! Once sponsorship details become available we will publish details on how to register for those.
Advertise your event! If possible, go beyond your regular board game channels and use local community groups and noticeboards, libraries etc, as this is the best way to reach those not yet connected to the gaming community.
Have a fantastic event!
