In the forty-plus years since it's inception, Dungeons and Dragons has become part of the American culture, not unlike Star Wars or The Wizard of Oz. The tabletop roleplaying game, created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1974, has evolved from a small, homemade game into a multi-million dollar franchise, played by people of all ages and backgrounds. Of course, there is the 1980s “Satanic cult scare” that affected the popular outlook on the game, but this quickly disappointed and D&D bounced back by the turn of the century. This will not be a full history, as the different editions and versions of the series are constantly moving and adapting, with no 100% this-is-exactly-as-you-play-it rules. Instead, we will be taking a look at the positives that can come out of the occasional roll of the dice, and what something like Dungeons and Dragons can teach.

In education, the idea of roleplaying a scenario is pretty commonplace. From the Kindergarten teacher playing the 911 operator to teach the students how to talk to emergency services if they need to, to middle school anti-drug programs, and in high school with history simulations. This allows for students to be put into a situation that they will need to make quick decisions and develop connections to the material at hand. This concept itself is the basis of Dungeons and Dragons – a group of people sit at the table and take on the “roles” of a character. Interaction and decision making is integral to the experience, and with many people having difficulty in this field, a tabletop roleplaying game may be a possible step to working with and overcoming social issues. At the same time, as with education-based roleplay scenarios, D&D involves putting oneself into a situation and having to act “in character,” thus allowing for many to play out a life that is much different from their own – not just in the fighting dragons and goblins sense, but someone who is nervous around people could easily play a charismatic rogue, thus helping in real-world interaction. Perhaps schools should find a way to integrate some form of roleplaying game into a classroom setting, if only for helping shy students break out of their shell.

Which of course leads us to the writing/storytelling aspect. Countless writers have cited games like Dungeons and Dragons as one of their early inspirations for writing, some even giving back to the series by writing one of the franchise books. On a lesser scale, the game progresses in whatever way the players and Dungeon Master (DM) want it to go – though of course, just because the DM has their plans, doesn't mean the players will exactly follow it. Many students in schools find themselves believing they cannot write, or that they just aren't creative enough to be able to tell stories. This type of game relies on storytelling in such a way that a player may not even realize that they themselves are helping to write the next adventure. Every game is different from each other – just because a group is using a specific published adventure book such as Ravenloft, does not mean they have to follow the book's version to a letter. Players can bring up new ideas, lead the story away from the original plan, and the DM has to roll with it, as taking over the entire thing makes it less about the group's story and more what the text says is Gospel. A constant flowing storyline, one that can be changed just by a bad dice roll, proves that everybody at the table has some form of creativity – even if they do not realize it.

I could go on and on about all the things I've learned and how Dungeons and Dragons has helped my writing, but that's just my point of view. These are the two major benefits, but of course there are as many as a game like chess (strategy) or even Monopoly. Someone else may have a completely different experience, and that's what makes it fun. No two people play it the same – for example, in the group I run, one player prefers to jump straight to fighting, while another uses more interaction and skill checks. Everybody can find something they like and possibly even a skill they can adapt - conversation, diplomacy, and so on. There is a stigma attached to the game and its players, a group than includes the likes of Vin Diesel and Chris Hardwick, but maybe if we looked at it as a tool for writing, storytelling, and social interaction, then maybe Dungeons and Dragons could be back at the top of popular culture.