Over the past few years, as the world entered quarantine and began recovering from it, people struggled to come to terms with the new slowed-down version of their routines. Everyone was trying to enrich their stay-at-home time to feel more gratified instead of being stuck in an endless loop of Netflix series. This gave way to gaming, either role-playing or online. Consequently, games became one of the most popular media and entertainment trends in 2022. 1980s Dungeons & Dragons saw resurrection.
What Is Dungeons & Dragons?
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy, role-playing board game originally created in 1974. The game has now expanded to virtual outlets such as online channels and gaming devices. It’s essentially storytelling where all the players use their imagination to take their characters on an adventure in a structure designed by the Dungeons & Dragons creators that determines the consequences of the players’ decisions. In fact, the original version of the game had no supporting features or miniatures and was solely dependent on each player’s individual creativity. As detailed by The Daily RPG, there are still multiple ways of approaching the game, and different tips and tricks make this game suitable for all types of people. The most popular rendition these days is the board game where each player rolls a dice that determines whether their character can perform the actions, for instance, whether their attacks will hit or miss or if their characters can jump off a clip.
How D&D Became a Trend Again
While this game has always been a part of popular geek culture, being referenced in shows such as The Big Bang Theory, it was brought to the attention of mainline consumers by the hit TV series Stranger Things. Despite the show being based in the 1980s, it’s becoming progressively trendy for kids these days. That said, pop culture has recently seen an increasing inclusion of fantasy genres with shows like Game of Thrones or The Witcher that countered the belief that this genre is not nerdy. This allowed more mainstream crowds to start playing it, featuring it on podcasts or making innovative TikToks terming Dungeons & Dragons as the new cool thing to do.
What’s the Big Deal?
Surprisingly, this game has been endorsed by numerous groups, including parents, teachers, and even therapists. It promotes social inclusion by bringing people together and develops not only people’s interpersonal communication skills but also creativity and problem solving by encouraging players to come up with innovative solutions to the conundrums in the game. You’re supposed to retrieve a magical sword from a haunted castle surrounded by guards. What do you do?
It might seem like a silly part of the game, yet this game has proven to be a great asset to young individuals. It can increase their self-esteem, help them express their individuality, and improve impulse control through cultivating teamwork and patience.
Endnote
Whether you’ve been a long-term fan of fantasy-themed games or are looking for a fun new activity to partake in with your friends, we’d recommend giving dungeons and dragons a go! There are multiple ways to play this game; whether you want to include it in your next game night or if you’re living in an area where covid rates are still high, you could play the online version. We’ve also set up a guideline for new beginning gamers to make it easier for you to explore the virtual gaming world.
