CAMPUS
The role-playing renaissance D Hudson Fox & Marrisa Chow
ungeons & Dragons is everywhere in popular media. Mentions in series such as “Community,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Stranger Things” have elevated this pastime into one of the most widely-played tabletop role-playing games in the world. Twenty years ago, television played an important role in spurring interest in Dungeons & Dragons. That's when Travis Callan, a current AVID, US History, and Life Skills/Ethnic Studies teacher, discovered Dungeons & Dragons as a sophomore at Carlmont. “So, there was the final episode of Freaks and Geeks. They sit down, and they play a game of Dungeons & Dragons,” Callan said. “My buddy went out, and he bought the starter set. And he's like, ‘let's give it a try.’” An on-and-off player since 2002, Callan recognizes how massively popular the game has become. “I think it's way more accepted. It's definitely in the mainstream,” Callan said. Statistics tell a similar story. As the world entered into lockdown in early 2020, the role-playing game flourished, notching its most successful year ever. With a 33% growth in sales, players adapted to
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virtual tabletops and Zoom calls to play with friends, according to an infographic released by the developer of the game, Wizards of the Coast, LLC. In a virtual environment, however, the game underwent fluctuations in player satisfaction. Recent Carlmont graduate Ana Hoffman Sole reflected on the shortcomings of the online version. “Whereas in-person D&D tends to leave me excited or full of ideas, after Zoom D&D, I’d generally have a snack and take a nap,” Hoffman Sole said. Jack Rizvi, a recent Carlmont graduate who has played Dungeons & Dragons since middle school, compared using a website to emulate in-person game tools to the virtual school experience. “Think of the difference between Zoom classes and in-person classes, except you actually want to be there,” Rizvi said. Despite these impediments, growth continued throughout the COVID-19 lockdown and into the following year. According to a Hasbro, Inc. February 2022 press release, 2021 represented the ninth year of consecutive revenue growth for the franchise. Much like the “Freaks and Geeks” episode Callan and his classmates watched two decades ago, the success
can partly be attributed to the revival of Dungeons & Dragons imagery in television series such as “Stranger Things.” The show’s global reach is no overstatement. Following the release of its fourth season, “Stranger Things”
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