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<blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 7695847" data-attributes="member: 3285"><p>For those new to the concept of tabletop role-playing game, learning <em>Dungeons & Dragons</em> can be a daunting task. From the scope of imaginary fantasy it covers to the math required to the full engagement necessary for players to enjoy it, D&D is not a casual game for casual players. And yet the popularity of D&D is on the rise. There are lots of factors that have contributed to its ascension: an aging populace of gamers embracing their childhood hobby and a new streamlined edition, to name a few. But there may be a new factor contributing to the game's popularity thanks to the Internet.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]118730[/ATTACH]</p> <p style="text-align: center"><a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/C3T8KTZxTFM" target="_blank">Picture courtesy Unsplash</a>.</p><p>[h=3]<strong>Harder Than it Looks</strong>[/h]The rules for role-playing games can be daunting to new players because of the massive scope they cover. Gary Gygax, co-creator of<em> Dungeons & Dragons</em>, explains in <em><a href="http://amzn.to/1VLAcmp" target="_blank">Role-Playing Mastery</a>: </em></p><p></p><p>Additionally, role-playing games require additional effort on behalf of the participants. They cannot passively absorb the medium:</p><p></p><p>Nathaniel Hood <a href="http://www.startribune.com/a-first-timer-plays-dungeons-dragons/281398631/" target="_blank">discusses D&D's learning curve</a> in the StarTribune:</p><p></p><p>Jon Peterson in <a href="http://amzn.to/1XSXzfs" target="_blank"><em>Playing at the World</em></a> elaborates on just how difficult it was to explain D&D to newcomers, even in the early stages of the game's evolution. Gygax penned three fictionalized events across a variety of gaming zines as a means of advertising the game:</p><p></p><p>Getting newcomers to quickly understand what D&D is about us a challenge that continues today. Mike Mearls, lead designer of the current incarnation of <em>Dungeons & Dragons</em>, faced a similar conundrum, <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2015/8/20/9172559/dungeons-dragons-dnd-4th-edition-one-year-later-twitch-youtube" target="_blank">as described in Polygon</a>:</p><p></p><p>The answer? Watching someone play the game. But for the many outsiders who didn't have access or opportunity to watch D&D in play, there were a lot of misconceptions along the way.</p><p>[h=3]<strong>A Picture Tells a Thousand Words</strong>[/h]Part of the mystique of D&D was its seemingly impenetrable rules system. To new players the concept can be baffling: there's no "winning," it doesn't require a board, and yet it does require a group of players getting together for hours at a time. D&D wasn't helped by the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26328105" target="_blank">80s Satanic Panic</a> in the U.S., with Jack Chick's comic <em><a href="http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.ASP" target="_blank">Dark Dungeons</a></em> a particularly egregious example of misconceptions about the game. It was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qc9JiIiOSQ" target="_blank">eventually turned into a movie</a> (played straight).</p><p></p><p><em>Dark Dungeons </em>has a surprisingly diverse gender representation. The truth was considerably less exciting however, as The Dead Alewives<a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-dead-alewives-dungeons-and-dragons" target="_blank"> recorded an audio skit</a> of the "real" dangers of D&D. This <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zng5kRle4FA" target="_blank">was turned into a video</a> by Voilition, Inc., using rendered video of the characters from their game Summoner.</p><p></p><p>In early 2000 videos of D&D demonstrated that the game was considered too geeky to be taken seriously. Over time, something changed. <a href="https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/streaming-dd-twitch" target="_blank">Greg Bilsland explains</a>:</p><p></p><p>Mearls agreed in a <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/413uu7/dd_ama_with_mike_mearls_and_chris_lindsay_115/cyzgyk8" target="_blank">Reddit Ask Me Anything</a>:</p><p></p><p>Bilsland believes it all started at PAX Prime:</p><p></p><p>To see how far livestreaming has come, compare the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA3VbDqj7C4" target="_blank">2015 session of Acquisitions Inc. </a>to their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqXqK3ZlqWI" target="_blank">2010 debut</a>. Mearls elaborated in Polygon:</p><p></p><p>Streaming tabletop sessions is one way to get new players into the game, if only to dispel the mystery of how D&D works. As video has increased on YouTube and Twitch, D&D players have moved with it.</p><p>[h=3]<strong>The Professionals Take Over</strong>[/h]It wasn't long before professional and semi-professionals took to portraying D&D sessions. My buddy <a href="http://savingthrowshow.com/wiki/index.php?title=Ivan_Van_Norman" target="_blank">Ivan Van Norman</a>, who was an awesome role-playing gamer/contestant in <em>King of the Geeks</em>, launched the <em>Saving Throw </em>YouTube series. It explains in basic terms <a href="http://savingthrowshow.com/wiki/index.php?title=Saving_Throw" target="_blank">how to play <em>Pathfinder</em></a>:</p><p></p><p>There's plenty of other professional videos too, ranging from <a href="http://geekandsundry.com/vin-diesel-brings-matthew-mercers-new-class-to-life-the-witch-hunter-class-for-dd/" target="_blank">action hero Vin Diesel's own D&D session</a> to Titansgrave run by geek actor Wil Wheaton on <a href="http://www.geekandsundry.com/" target="_blank">Geek & Sundry</a>, and <a href="http://geekmom.com/2016/02/for-people-who-dont-play-d-and-d/" target="_blank">a wide range of folks in-between</a>. Charity events in which 24 hours of gaming take place on Twitch are increasingly common, with both <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?3255-Paizo-s-24-Hour-Marathon-For-Extra-Life#.VtL83tCaAtg" target="_blank">Paizo Publishing</a> and <a href="http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/dnd_extralife2015" target="_blank">Wizards of the Coast</a> hosting sessions to support the children's charity, Extra Life. Speaking of WOTC, <em>Dungeons & Dragons</em> <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/wotc_dnd" target="_blank">has its own Twitch channel</a>. Peter Adkison, former CEO of Wizards of the Coast, believes this is <a href="http://www.peteradkison.com/can-roleplaying-games-create-good-stories/" target="_blank">more than a passing fad</a>:</p><p></p><p>Adkison successfully launched his own film based off a role-playing game,<em> <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peteradkison/the-devil-walks-in-salem/posts/949567" target="_blank">The Devil Walks in Salem</a></em>.</p><p>[h=3]<strong>A Future Industry?</strong>[/h]Adkison asks an interesting question on his blog: <a href="http://www.peteradkison.com/can-roleplaying-games-create-good-stories/" target="_blank">Will future role-playing games be designed to be watched</a>?</p><p></p><p>If there are role-playing games designed to be viewed as a form of interactive theater, then there will be a need for players and actors to participate. For an example of the type of role this might create, see Impure Ascetic Productions'<a href="http://www.backstage.com/casting/filmed-pathfinder-dd-game-for-twitchtv-104107/" target="_blank"> casting call for an ongoing D&D session</a> on Twitch and YouTube:</p><p></p><p>With a <em>Dungeons & Dragons</em> movie on the horizon, the possibilities are bright for more video of role-playing sessions...<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz-RI43EinI" target="_blank">as long as everyone stays awake</a>.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="talien, post: 7695847, member: 3285"] For those new to the concept of tabletop role-playing game, learning [I]Dungeons & Dragons[/I] can be a daunting task. From the scope of imaginary fantasy it covers to the math required to the full engagement necessary for players to enjoy it, D&D is not a casual game for casual players. And yet the popularity of D&D is on the rise. There are lots of factors that have contributed to its ascension: an aging populace of gamers embracing their childhood hobby and a new streamlined edition, to name a few. But there may be a new factor contributing to the game's popularity thanks to the Internet. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" alt="dicestream.jpg"]118730[/ATTACH] [URL='https://unsplash.com/photos/C3T8KTZxTFM']Picture courtesy Unsplash[/URL].[/CENTER] [h=3][B]Harder Than it Looks[/B][/h]The rules for role-playing games can be daunting to new players because of the massive scope they cover. Gary Gygax, co-creator of[I] Dungeons & Dragons[/I], explains in [I][URL='http://amzn.to/1VLAcmp']Role-Playing Mastery[/URL]: [/I] Additionally, role-playing games require additional effort on behalf of the participants. They cannot passively absorb the medium: Nathaniel Hood [URL='http://www.startribune.com/a-first-timer-plays-dungeons-dragons/281398631/']discusses D&D's learning curve[/URL] in the StarTribune: Jon Peterson in [URL='http://amzn.to/1XSXzfs'][I]Playing at the World[/I][/URL] elaborates on just how difficult it was to explain D&D to newcomers, even in the early stages of the game's evolution. Gygax penned three fictionalized events across a variety of gaming zines as a means of advertising the game: Getting newcomers to quickly understand what D&D is about us a challenge that continues today. Mike Mearls, lead designer of the current incarnation of [I]Dungeons & Dragons[/I], faced a similar conundrum, [URL='http://www.polygon.com/2015/8/20/9172559/dungeons-dragons-dnd-4th-edition-one-year-later-twitch-youtube']as described in Polygon[/URL]: The answer? Watching someone play the game. But for the many outsiders who didn't have access or opportunity to watch D&D in play, there were a lot of misconceptions along the way. [h=3][B]A Picture Tells a Thousand Words[/B][/h]Part of the mystique of D&D was its seemingly impenetrable rules system. To new players the concept can be baffling: there's no "winning," it doesn't require a board, and yet it does require a group of players getting together for hours at a time. D&D wasn't helped by the [URL='http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26328105']80s Satanic Panic[/URL] in the U.S., with Jack Chick's comic [I][URL='http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.ASP']Dark Dungeons[/URL][/I] a particularly egregious example of misconceptions about the game. It was [URL='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qc9JiIiOSQ']eventually turned into a movie[/URL] (played straight). [I]Dark Dungeons [/I]has a surprisingly diverse gender representation. The truth was considerably less exciting however, as The Dead Alewives[URL='http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-dead-alewives-dungeons-and-dragons'] recorded an audio skit[/URL] of the "real" dangers of D&D. This [URL='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zng5kRle4FA']was turned into a video[/URL] by Voilition, Inc., using rendered video of the characters from their game Summoner. In early 2000 videos of D&D demonstrated that the game was considered too geeky to be taken seriously. Over time, something changed. [URL='https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/streaming-dd-twitch']Greg Bilsland explains[/URL]: Mearls agreed in a [URL='https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/413uu7/dd_ama_with_mike_mearls_and_chris_lindsay_115/cyzgyk8']Reddit Ask Me Anything[/URL]: Bilsland believes it all started at PAX Prime: To see how far livestreaming has come, compare the [URL='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA3VbDqj7C4']2015 session of Acquisitions Inc. [/URL]to their [URL='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqXqK3ZlqWI']2010 debut[/URL]. Mearls elaborated in Polygon: Streaming tabletop sessions is one way to get new players into the game, if only to dispel the mystery of how D&D works. As video has increased on YouTube and Twitch, D&D players have moved with it. [h=3][B]The Professionals Take Over[/B][/h]It wasn't long before professional and semi-professionals took to portraying D&D sessions. My buddy [URL='http://savingthrowshow.com/wiki/index.php?title=Ivan_Van_Norman']Ivan Van Norman[/URL], who was an awesome role-playing gamer/contestant in [I]King of the Geeks[/I], launched the [I]Saving Throw [/I]YouTube series. It explains in basic terms [URL='http://savingthrowshow.com/wiki/index.php?title=Saving_Throw']how to play [I]Pathfinder[/I][/URL]: There's plenty of other professional videos too, ranging from [URL='http://geekandsundry.com/vin-diesel-brings-matthew-mercers-new-class-to-life-the-witch-hunter-class-for-dd/']action hero Vin Diesel's own D&D session[/URL] to Titansgrave run by geek actor Wil Wheaton on [URL='http://www.geekandsundry.com/']Geek & Sundry[/URL], and [URL='http://geekmom.com/2016/02/for-people-who-dont-play-d-and-d/']a wide range of folks in-between[/URL]. Charity events in which 24 hours of gaming take place on Twitch are increasingly common, with both [URL='http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?3255-Paizo-s-24-Hour-Marathon-For-Extra-Life#.VtL83tCaAtg']Paizo Publishing[/URL] and [URL='http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/dnd_extralife2015']Wizards of the Coast[/URL] hosting sessions to support the children's charity, Extra Life. Speaking of WOTC, [I]Dungeons & Dragons[/I] [URL='http://www.twitch.tv/wotc_dnd']has its own Twitch channel[/URL]. Peter Adkison, former CEO of Wizards of the Coast, believes this is [URL='http://www.peteradkison.com/can-roleplaying-games-create-good-stories/']more than a passing fad[/URL]: Adkison successfully launched his own film based off a role-playing game,[I] [URL='https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peteradkison/the-devil-walks-in-salem/posts/949567']The Devil Walks in Salem[/URL][/I]. [h=3][B]A Future Industry?[/B][/h]Adkison asks an interesting question on his blog: [URL='http://www.peteradkison.com/can-roleplaying-games-create-good-stories/']Will future role-playing games be designed to be watched[/URL]? If there are role-playing games designed to be viewed as a form of interactive theater, then there will be a need for players and actors to participate. For an example of the type of role this might create, see Impure Ascetic Productions'[URL='http://www.backstage.com/casting/filmed-pathfinder-dd-game-for-twitchtv-104107/'] casting call for an ongoing D&D session[/URL] on Twitch and YouTube: With a [I]Dungeons & Dragons[/I] movie on the horizon, the possibilities are bright for more video of role-playing sessions...[URL='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz-RI43EinI']as long as everyone stays awake[/URL]. [/QUOTE]
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