How Dungeons and Dragons somehow became more popular than ever | Hacker News Reader

How Dungeons and Dragons somehow became more popular than ever

washingtonpost.com

14 pointsadamc5 comments

As someone in their late 20's, it's becoming increasingly more difficult to gather friends for activities that:

a.) Don't involve staring at a screen. I do that enough every day. All day.

b.) Doesn't involve eating &/or drinking as the primary activity.

c.) Is more than just "passive consumption" of someone else's hard work (theater, media, sports, etc).

Dungeons and Dragons really "scratches" this itch. It's a creative endeavor, where the ultimate goal is just to hang out and have a good time.

Maybe it's just an excuse to hangout, "shoot the shit" and get some laughs in? Or maybe it's a much deeper creative/intellectual endeavor.

Either way, it's been one of the best additions to my life in recent years, and it's gotten me to do a lot of thinking about the nature of creativity and the idea of crafting "fun".

I think it ultimately boils down to the proliferation and growing acceptance of "nerdy" hobbies and pastimes. I think the near-universality of videogames played a big role in this. Almost every piece of "nerdy" culture I've experienced (D&D, MTG, many comics, Anime) I've found through video games directly or through interactions with other gamers.

That and accessibility. You can buy DnD book over the internet instead of having to go to your local comic store. But the fact that it no longer has a significant impact on social status is probably the biggest change.

I think it really began with the web. The mainstreaming of "nerd" culture began with the mainstreaming of owning and using a computer, which used to be something only nerds did outside of business. Video game culture came after bringing nerd culture with it, with the advent of forums and social media, fandom and fan generated content. A lot of people have learned about D&D by watching streaming plays like Critical Role, for instance, or gotten into fandoms through fan fiction sites.

Video games and youtube are perfect onramps to D&D.

Fantasy storytelling has always been big (from mythology to LoTR to GoT) but now it's reinforced with a positive feedback loop of tabletop and video gaming.

Add in the ability to instantly and cheaply download materials in PDF form over the internet, and even the ability to play games remotely using roll20, etc., and you have a golden era for D&D and potentially other tabletop RPGs as well.

I always knew that D&D was fun to watch (and play), but until I watched Acquisitions Incorporated in person I underestimated the bizarre and hilarious fun of sharing the experience with thousands of D&D fanatics shouting "green flame!" at appropriate moments.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com