In Wenatchee, Washington, there's no Veterans Affairs center. That's left veterans struggling to find the resources they need. Now, one local group is now hosting a weekly game night to help build community among Wenatchee veterans. NWPB’s Reneé Dìaz reported this story and joined host Phineas Pope to discuss.
Phineas Pope: Tell us how this weekly game night got started?
Reneé Dìaz: This all started with Paul Stayback. He's a chapter president at Combat Veterans International. They are a nonprofit that provides support for veterans. He previously provided clinical services in Wenatchee. But with uncertainty with federal and state funding, his contract was terminated. He noticed a gap in mental health resources for veterans. He had the idea of starting a game night surrounding Magic: The Gathering, a fantasy card game. He saw it as an opportunity to bring veterans together on a weekly basis.
Pope: You talked with veterans in Wenatchee. What are they dealing with?
Dìaz: Many of them are dealing with a number of challenges, some with post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, depression, isolation and trouble with assimilating to society after coming back from an orderly routine.
Pope: Why is it important for veterans to get out in the community and be social?
Dìaz: Socializing, as Paul Stayback describes, helps veterans' overall mental and physical wellbeing. Bringing people with similar experiences together reduces the risk of loneliness, depression and suicide — most often caused by a lack of belonging.
I talked to an army veteran, Kevin Coleman. He goes to the game weekly. He said he enjoys going because other veterans can relate to what he's been through. He can be his true self. Also, he enjoys the game. He says it's fun.
Pope: You reported that the concept of game nights among veterans is spreading in Washington. Why does something like this work as opposed to a traditional VA center?
Dìaz: The environment is very low-stakes and comfortable. If you go to these game nights, you can see the veterans play with other people who just love to play Magic. There is a lot of peer support from veterans and non-veterans in these spaces. It's a space where not only veterans, but everyone can belong.
Pope: The game that’s played is Magic: The Gathering. For those unfamiliar, it's a tabletop card game that has fantastical elements of wizards and spells. Why that game?
Dìaz: I had the chance to play this game with them. I learned the game requires a lot of reading, strategizing and negotiating. They're using their prefrontal cortex by sitting at a table, joking. Focusing on a low stakes game can help calm the nervous system.
Paul Stayback: That group has started getting together outside of the game. Some of them … are going to the shop pretty regularly on their own, where they were isolating before. The Wenatchee Group is a model, as I'm building other groups.
Dìaz: Stayback saw how roleplay fantasy games have brought people together in the past. He thought Magic: The Gathering would be a good fit for veterans.
Reneé Diaz may be contacted at [email protected]. Collaborative reporting by The Wenatchee World, NWPB and Murrow College of Communication Newsroom Fellowship.
