After more than 25 years of using various VTTs on and off, with hundreds of groups, we have found the simpler approach best for anyone participation in the normal recreational use of tabletop games, especially RPGs. One big exception is for entertainment programs, _then_ the VTTs are MUCH better for the enjoyment of the audience.This includes streaming and similar methods of delivery for audience enjoyment. Ultimately we keep finding that that for recreational, educational, and therapeutic programs, going back to basics and keeping it as simple as possible leads to better and more consistent overall results, more enjoyable experiences, and more frequent immersion and flow state experiences. Keep in mind we are strong advocates for using technologies to help improve lives whenever possible (see our Brain-Computer Interface Role-Playing Game Project, for example).
Regarding enjoyment, immersion, flow, and/or efficacy (the impact of noted effects from participation in the activity), mileage will vary with specific clients, programs, and goals, but overall in general we found that as we have experimented with a long list of VTTs over the decades (including building some of our own back in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s), ultimately we find that, on the average, the technologies interfere more often than help. Enjoyment, Immersion, Flow, and/or Efficacy
We have found that most VTTs do indeed send some kind of telemetry information, and, except for the ancient SuiteGM, we have not (yet) found a single VTT that can be HIPAA compliant without significant technical knowledge to shoehorn it into some form of compliance.Īs we raise awareness about this need for HIPAA-compliant VTTs, we hope that we can update this page with HIPAA-compliant VTTs in the future. Regarding HIPAA (USA Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) and similar privacy protection laws around the world, except for the technologies that allow you to run and host yourself, there are no HIPAA-compliant VTTs.Įven the ones that you can host yourself need to be audited and modified to remove telemetry, enhance privacy and security settings, add layers of encryptions, etc.
Unfortunately current VTTs are completely lacking in this area, very weak (or non-existent) privacy or security designs. VTTs can be VERY helpful for various populations with special needs (such as Deaf and Hard of hearing, Aphantasia, etc.). HIPAA Compliance and Lack of Privacy or Security We have found the most effective use of technologies for TRPG sessions in entertainment, education, recreation, and therapeutic programs, and the information below lays out where VTTs best fit into such programs. The use of VTTs enhance entertainment of audiences, but reduces enjoyment for recreational participants, such as the actual players and GM in TRPGs for example. However, unfortunately for recreational use, we have found after decades of best-efforts trying to make technologies enhance the TRPG experience and efficacy, the overwhelming data keeps pointing back to the Keep It Simple (KISS) principle. VTTs are an excellent tool for enhancing the use of tabletop games for entertainment purposes (goal being to entertain an audience, rather than just the game participants). Our founding goes back to the late 1970s, including being online since 1979, including using technologies to enhance the RPG experience, and researching the effects of role-playing games since 1983. We are huge advocates for using technologies to improve lives and user experiences.
Professional Use of VTTs, Including Therapeutic TRPGs Role-Playing Game Research Optimizing the RPG Experience Overview.Drop In and RPG Spark Central RPG Research Community Program Checklist.Social Distancing and Role-Playing Games.