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[THEORY] An odd thought about Star Trek and the history of D&D -- Am I wrong?
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<blockquote data-quote="OGIHR" data-source="post: 7217974" data-attributes="member: 6879245"><p>Please bear in mind that I am by no means an expert in the history of D&D, but I imagine that several people on this forum must be far more knowledgeable than I am.</p><p></p><p>I know that in 1982 one overwrought conspiracy theory blamed the game itself for one gamer's suicide, and RPGs in general (among which only D&D had broad name recognition in its own right) were villified for several years. </p><p></p><p>It was in 1989 that I (then 12yr old) first saw D&D for sale in a toy store, and I've often wondered what event triggered the turnaround in public perception to reinvigorate the game and make today's far more richly diverse RPG market possible. </p><p></p><p>Last night, I was watching Star Trek: The Next Generation on Netflix, and I think that the answer smacked me in the face. </p><p></p><p>Season one, episode 12: "The Big Goodbye" (originally aired January 11 of 1988). In which Captain Picard makes use of the holodeck to play out an adventure game in the role of an in-universe fictional character, the 20th century private detective Dixon Hill. </p><p></p><p>The Captain of a starship, by all indications a mature and accomplished responsible adult. A good role model; playing an RPG. </p><p></p><p>And as I was re-watching the episode last night, I was struck by the... hunch that this was the inciting event to D&D's resurgence shortly thereafter. </p><p></p><p>So, people who know more than I do about the history of D&D; do you know of any reason why this hunch of mine is wrong?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="OGIHR, post: 7217974, member: 6879245"] Please bear in mind that I am by no means an expert in the history of D&D, but I imagine that several people on this forum must be far more knowledgeable than I am. I know that in 1982 one overwrought conspiracy theory blamed the game itself for one gamer's suicide, and RPGs in general (among which only D&D had broad name recognition in its own right) were villified for several years. It was in 1989 that I (then 12yr old) first saw D&D for sale in a toy store, and I've often wondered what event triggered the turnaround in public perception to reinvigorate the game and make today's far more richly diverse RPG market possible. Last night, I was watching Star Trek: The Next Generation on Netflix, and I think that the answer smacked me in the face. Season one, episode 12: "The Big Goodbye" (originally aired January 11 of 1988). In which Captain Picard makes use of the holodeck to play out an adventure game in the role of an in-universe fictional character, the 20th century private detective Dixon Hill. The Captain of a starship, by all indications a mature and accomplished responsible adult. A good role model; playing an RPG. And as I was re-watching the episode last night, I was struck by the... hunch that this was the inciting event to D&D's resurgence shortly thereafter. So, people who know more than I do about the history of D&D; do you know of any reason why this hunch of mine is wrong? [/QUOTE]
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[THEORY] An odd thought about Star Trek and the history of D&D -- Am I wrong?
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