Dungeons and Dragons is a collective storytelling game that utilizes the randomness of die to stimulate the success-fullness of actions...

If I was to hear the words "Dungeons and Dragons" a couple of months ago, I would have pictured six or so girlfriend-less dorks huddled around a table. I associated the game with outcasts, guys who never got out of the house, and, to put it quite frankly, I considered it a form of social suicide.

Perhaps "social suicide" is a bit extreme. Let's just say I wanted very little to do with it.

I did not think I was fit to play the game and I certainly did not expect to love it as much as I do. About a month ago, a friend asked if I'd like to start a D&D game. My friends were interested so I thought why the heck not. We've met twice a week since our first meeting and suddenly I am one of those six friends huddled around a table.

The game is not near as quiet as I thought it would be. In fact it is very, very loud. We get angry, hysterical, frustrated, sad, and excited. We scream and we laugh. It is almost always very intense (I mean we accidentally killed 250 people in one chapter, whoops). I never knew I would love the game, and I am so glad I set aside my miss-perceived notions (and even an inkling of my pride) that I had about D&D.

I'm sharing with you my Dungeons and Dragons experience because I hope you can find it in yourself to be open for anything new. Stereotypes can be cruel and unfair. Give something a chance before you put a label to it. Don't do what I did. If someone loves to do something that you don't understand, then good for them! They're having fun, enjoying themselves, and spending time with friends. If you let go of your pride, you might just find that you're missing out on a lot. You could be missing out on friendships and fun times.

I say that being "too cool" is out of vogue. When you roll your eyes at something you don't understand, you're only hurting yourself- it's pointless! There are many things people do that I don't understand- competition for example. I'm not a competitive person. But that doesn't mean I won't support my friends at a game or partake in friendly rivalry. I don't really get it, but it makes me happy to see the high that other people get from competition.

Everything deserves a chance. You'll find that life is much more enjoyable when you put yourself out there and try something new. You'll discover your likes and dislikes and what you're good and what you're bad at. You'll know yourself better and in so doing be more confident. So don't be afraid or "too cool" next time you have the opportunity to try something new or something that you don't understand.