The Resplendent Cave finds hidden treasure in role-playing games

A professional game master is on a quest to work with more non-profits after a successful fundraiser helped people with autism find joy in collective storytelling.

"With tabletop role-playing games, you really do have a lot of engagement, but aside from selling people entertainment, me and the non-profits have seen that it's a viable way of combining games and doing good," said Kevin Douangmany, the owner and game master of The Resplendent Cave.

Douangmany sees what he does as a mix of hospitality and entertainment. He organizes and hosts tabletop role-playing games (henceforth referred to as TTRPGs) for enthusiasts, corporate clients, large events such as the Edmonton Expo, day camps, and now non-profits, which have started to take notice of his work.

He ran a sold-out Dungeons and Dragons fundraiser for the Centre for Autism Services Alberta on May 30, bringing in more than $2,000 for the charity. Douangmany said he and his team underwent training with the centre ahead of the fundraiser, and the entire experience made him want to do more such events.

"The experience was magical, seeing people feel comfortable bringing their family members who are living with autism, who are living with autism themselves, knowing that they had the support staff and the support of all the players and the volunteers and game masters," he told Taproot. "It was innovative, I would also say, because it's the first time that we piloted this thing. (We learned) tabletop role-playing games also have a place in delivering social and mental health services. They allow people to role-play a situation with lessened consequences."

Douangmany knows what it's like to come into one's own in role-playing environments, having dabbled as a game master at Table Top Cafe before going pro.

"Through that, it just kind of built my confidence in running sessions in a public setting for different types of players," he said. "There'd be new players, there'd be players that have been playing since the first edition (of a game), there'd be kids, there'd be adults — and that just made me more comfortable in a customer service role in that kind of environment."

He'll bring that confidence to Game Con Canada, the nation's largest gaming expo, on June 20 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre. He will serve as game master for the Cosmere Roleplaying Game, which is based on the lucrative intellectual property of fantasy giant Brandon Sanderson.

There's a reason the event isn't called "Video Game Con Canada," as TTRPGs make up a significant portion of the program. The expo is launching a 3,000-square-foot castle in which to play them this year. Business Research Insights estimates the global value of TTRPGs at US$2.41 billion and predicts it to grow to US$6.59 billion by 2035.

Meanwhile, Quantum Foresight calculated the total value of the video game industry at $188.8 billion in 2025, though that comprises mobile, PC, console, and VR gaming, each of which could be considered an industry in its own right.

Of course, Game Con will celebrate video games, too. Part of that is at the separate-but-connected North American Games Industry Summit, an industry-facing event at the EXPO Centre running on June 18 and 19. It will include a BioWare reunion event with co-founders, long-time employees, and voice talent on June 18.

Both Explore Edmonton and Edmonton Screen have made multi-year agreements to host Game Con and NAGIS here.

Explore Edmonton said in its annual report that Game Con Canada generated $2.1 million in economic impact last year, and NAGIS is expected to have long-lasting effects.

"What happens at NAGIS is one thing, but what happens after NAGIS in the next six to 12 months is the partnerships and the potential publisher deals that hopefully lead to contractual agreements with studios from Edmonton," wrote Ronnie Villanueva, digital media and technology specialist for Edmonton Screen.

Douangmany is a member of the Walkthrough Collaborative Centre by Interactive Arts Alberta, which is home to all kinds of indie game makers likely to take part in the two events. Convening members of the games industry leads to so much, he said.

"I love the demos and things, but when we as game developers and experts in the industry get together — oh, it is an explosion of creativity," he said.

To that end, The Resplendent Cave is hosting a free networking mixer at Tea Bar Cafe on June 14.