Even though Dungeons and Dragons started as a table-top game, the internet plays a big part in why it got popular again, allowing people from all over to connect and spend time in a world of their own creation. D&D is a game that allows players to completely customize a character and play through a story, or campaign, that is usually led by a Dungeon Master.

27% of Bob Jones students know nothing, or very little, about the game, and now that it’s a popular Patriot Path, more people can experience how fun it can be. People in every walk of life can enjoy this game, due mostly to its adaptability. Most people know of this game from the popular Netflix show, Stranger Things, but D&D is much more than Demogorgons and dice. With the rise in online parties, people who play Dungeons and Dragons over video-chat, the world of D&D has expanded. 

What began as a game for antisocial nerds has become an escape from reality for many. Overcoming social anxiety or charming tavern maids, the possibilities are endless, in both reality and fiction (Kotaku.com). Dungeons and Dragons brings people together, face-to-face without the distractions of the news or social media, and feels “slightly rebellious, or at least pleasantly out of place” in a world focused on pixelated reality (The New Yorker).

In my own campaigns, my friends and I have been aliens on a mission to help their friend, superheroes fighting an evil corporation, and magical high school students helping an old witch in trouble. Each campaign was led by a different person, but all of them were incredibly enjoyable as they allowed us to escape the pressures of school and beat up some fictional bad guys with our closest friends which is the appeal of a game like D&D. We’ve been able to use the internet to play when one of us was unable to meet up with the group or to quickly look up rules or abilities we had forgotten.

If you’re interested in learning more, you can sign up for Mrs. Norton’s Dungeons and Dragons Patriot Path or contact Bob Jones student Spencer Munshi.