Dungeons & Dragons, the Reagan-era role-playing game, is enjoying a renaissance of sorts. In fact, says Ethan Gilsdorf at Salon, some 25 years after its heyday, "the game has finally come into its own as a powerful cultural force." Since its creation in 1974, the game has been "instrumental" in the way sci-fi spreads through pop culture. And the "geeks" who grew up with the game now create the movies, television, music, and video games we all consume. Now, plenty of parents are "re-geeking" themselves, and reintegrating the game of their youth. Here, an excerpt:
Pure and simple, for many, D&D represents a lost age: It was an individualized, user-driven, DIY, human-scaled creative space separate from the world of adults and the intrusion of corporate forces. ... D&D recalls that day "before orcs and wookies were the intellectual property of vast transmedia corporations." Back when you had lots more free time than money — before girlfriends, job, kids. Life.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
