When you think of Dungeons and Dragons maybe you think of a group of friends, gathered around a table in a basement, like Will and his friends in Stranger Things. Maybe you think of “geeky” character like Sheldon or Leonard from Big Bang Theory. Or you may think of the epic wars and encounters with dragons in Game of Thrones. Nowadays many more of you probably think of your own experiences of cheering over a natural 20, describing a funny concept of a character to your dungeon master, and loudly laughing with your friends. This is due to a recent resurgence of Dungeons and Dragons into mainstream pop culture. What caused it? Everyone’s favorite virus, COVID-19.
A quick recap for those of us who pushed the pandemic out of our minds, COVID-19 first started spreading around the globe in early 2020. In March, the United States started issuing shutdowns, leading to the start of quarantine for millions of Americans. People were forced to stay inside, binge Netflix shows, and play video games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons or Doom: Eternal to entertain themselves.
At first, quarantine doesn’t sound too bad, especially for introverts like me who prefer to stay inside most days, but being stuck inside for long periods of time can eventually get to anyone. The World Health Organization recorded that anxiety and depression increased by 25% worldwide. This was due to “feelings of loneliness, fear of infection, suffering and death for oneself and for loved ones, grief after bereavement and financial worries.” It was easy for people to only think about the depressing state of the world as they had little to distract themselves or keep themselves occupied with.
During this time many people were searching a way to fight off these darker feelings all while still complying with the Quarantine order. Like a Griffon with a Holy Knight upon its back, Dungeons and Dragons came to save people from both boredom and their declining mental states.
A hero in her own right, Dr. Megan Connell, a board-certificated psychologist, utilizes Dungeons and Dragons and other games in her clinical practices. I asked her in an interview if playing D&D during the quarantine was helpful, Dr. Connell replied, “[D&D] gave them something they could solve, something they could control. While the quarantine and COVID was out of their hands, solving a problem in a game of D&D is something they can control.” This sense of control is very important as it gives us a sense of stability in life and can reduce stress.
As a game, D&D is built upon the simple structure of players encountering a problem and doing something to solve it. For example, the party is trapped in a stone room and their only exit is a stone door with no keyhole or doorknob. Instead of panicking and planning out the rest of their lives in this cell, the players get to work. They using their character’s intelligence skills to scan the walls for a mechanism to maybe open the door, testing their strength against the door to see if it could be broken down, or using magic to open the door with a simple knock. Eventually, through problem solving, they will find a way out and be on their merry way to start a bar fight or slay a god. Maybe both at the same time, with D&D you never know.
Dungeons and Dragons provides both the hope and knowledge that there is always a solution, even if it takes time. That is just a taste of power this overly complicated roleplaying game has. Dr. Connell passionately emphasized that D&D was “Too big of a tool not to use [in her practice].” She uses it as a way for people to practice social skills in a fantasy setting. While players are able to develop skills one on one with Dr. Connell through roleplay with NPCs (Non-Player Characters), they also develop skills in a group setting learning valuable team-skills.
Dungeons and Dragons, since its original conception, has always been about experiencing a story with a group of people and experiencing that feeling of togetherness (which is also one of the reasons why it was thought to be a form witchcraft in the late 70s). This is why both playing and watching others play D&D has an appeal. When you are watching others play D&D, you can feel like you are sitting at the table with them, sharing a laugh, and all experiencing the same story.
This is a responsibility Matthew Mercer, Chief Creative Officer and Dungeon Master for Critical Role, has decided to take on. During an interview with Todd Kenreck, Mercer expressed, “With a lot of darkness around me, there needs to be some person who’s holding the ground. . . Now if I have the opportunity to be an element of that for a lot of people as part of this community, then that’s a responsibility I’m willing to take.” Mercer has kept his promise and has dedicated his career to share his talent of storytelling on Critical Role, which averages 14 million views a month.
The sense of community Mercer fosters extends beyond just the Critical Role Audience. The LQBTQ+ community is often associated with D&D as well. Many safe spaces for LGBTQ+ folks, like Encircle and Pride Houses, often include a D&D night to their list of activities. Last month I attended one of these events at a Pride House and found myself feeling like I was surrounded by longtime friends. Everyone was happy to be there, laughing, joking, messing around, but all quieting down to listen to the Dungeon Master explain a scene, to roll for combat, and cheer when a natural 20 is rolled. I could tell everyone was comfortable to share who they were with no shame.
Dr. Connell has also noticed this trend explaining that “[D&D] allows for people to explore gender expression in a safe space.” I also have some experience with this sentiment as one of the first times I explored my identity as a gay man was through a D&D character. By playing this character, an elven cleric with a tragic backstory of losing his husband, I started to feel more comfortable with my identity as it gave me a creative outlet for those emotions.
For a lot of time during high school and college, I spent restless days and nights in bed, a notebook in my lap, lo-fi video game music playing, and spent hours homebrewing a D&D world. I love the aspect of creating worlds and stories that all seemed so real. I would write big characters like gods whose names were revered by all, and small characters like a simple Dragonborn who had a slightly problematic family. The prospect of endless stories is what continually draws me to D&D.
One of the greatest things I discovered during this was the existence of D&D Live-Play podcasts, where a group of friends gather around a table or in a call online and play out a story within a D&D world. While I may not have as much time to play D&D myself anymore, I am always returning to listen to new episodes of Dimension 20 or Just Roll With It to help me pass the time while bored at work or mindlessly playing Minecraft.
Since those dreary years of 2020 and 2021, Dungeons and Dragons has been a constant in many people’s lives, including mine, and it shows through the official content that has been released since that initial boom. One of the biggest D&D related releases was the movie Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves in 2023. This movie was able to introduce D&D to the everyday family and accrue a new younger audience.
For adult audiences came The Legend of Vox Machina, created by Critical Role. The award-winning animated series was originally conceived to be a 20-minute special with a Kickstarter goal of $750,000, but quickly surpassed and raised over $11.3 million. This led to the creation of the animated show that will now be getting its third season in October 2024 and a second series in the works.
Most recently, the biggest game of 2023 was a D&D game called Baldur’s Gate 3, produced by Larian Studios. This has singlehandedly become one of the most popular pieces of Dungeons and Dragons media and award-winning games. As of 2024, it has won over 30 awards and has received accolades calling it one of the best RPGs of all time.
It is safe to say that Dungeons and Dragons has earned its place as one of the best sources for fantasy and adventure. With lifetime fans supporting new shows, movies, video games, and every sequential book release, D&D is here to stay to fulfill everyone’s needs to escape and adventure through a world of magic, wars, exploration, dragons, and doors that are surprisingly hard to get through. For years and years to come, friends, acquaintances, clients, and more will gather together in a space with dice, complicated character sheets, a drive for adventure, and have a grand time.
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