D&D 5E D&D and empowerment in the news

[Ancalagon]

(some context: The National Post is a right-leaning newspaper and is probably the 2nd or 3rd most read paper in Canada)

http://news.nationalpost.com/life/w...-feeling-empowered-in-a-way-beyonce-never-has

 

[Chaosmancer]

Very interesting article, thanks for sharing it

 

[Imaculata]

It's a bit of a shallow article in my opinion. There's a lot more that can be said about D&D. While it's nice to see an article highlighting the positive elements of the game at all, the article has nothing new to say about the topic, and it's not going to persuade anyone unfamiliar to D&D to give the game a try. Most importantly, the article does a bad job explaining what the game is actually about.

 

[wedgeski]

The article has some nice insight ("by building a D&D character, you're building yourself"), and I think all we need out of mainstream D&D coverage is this kind of positivity. I give it a thumbs up.

 

[Herobizkit]

A CBC radio journalist spoke with the author about that very same article.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/the180/why-dungeons-and-dragons-is-a-source-of-female-empowerment-1.3822661

 

[Plaguescarred]

Interesting article !

 

[robus]

It's a bit of a shallow article in my opinion. There's a lot more that can be said about D&D. While it's nice to see an article highlighting the positive elements of the game at all, the article has nothing new to say about the topic, and it's not going to persuade anyone unfamiliar to D&D to give the game a try. Most importantly, the article does a bad job explaining what the game is actually about.

I think you're being a little harsh. The point of the article wasn't to explain the game but how role playing (within the context of the game) made the author feel empowered. Many people are familiar with the concept of role playing (as the author notes it's a common technique in therapy and other areas). So they're just saying that this ended up being a fun way to explore different sides of their personality (or experiment with a new personality).

i think it helps to lessen the intimidation factor of D&D (she's right about the character sheet sea of numbers and stuff ) and communicates that people like her, who aren't big dragon fans, can enjoy it and get something positive out of the experience.

 

[Imaculata]

I realize I'm being harsh, but I think for good reason. D&D still has a stigma that keeps a lot of people from playing it. I'd like to see an article that doesn't just point out one positive experience, but also gets readers interested in D&D.

 

[robus]

The Guardian has been posting good articles, though one in particular, I read this year, is eluding me

Edit: that's because it was in Vice instead. The London connection threw me off

 

[wedgeski]

I realize I'm being harsh, but I think for good reason. D&D still has a stigma that keeps a lot of people from playing it. I'd like to see an article that doesn't just point out one positive experience, but also gets readers interested in D&D.

Do you think that stigma is rooted in its history, or just part of the general aversion to nerdiness suffered by much of the population?

I had an interesting night at a friend's birthday party over the weekend. He's a passionate roleplayer, and our entire group was invited. As I got talking to friends and relatives of his, it became obvious that they saw his roleplaying as an odd little corner of his life that they would never -- and seemingly didn't want to -- understand. They wanted to talk about what an amazing father he is, or how good he is at his job (both true). Meanwhile he has told me, with no small amount of emotion, how frustrating it is not to be able to share this thing he loves with his family because they still see it as a silly childish pursuit.

One friend of his wife (said spouse being very supportive of his gaming, even though she doesn't play herself) said to me, "Oh, you play that naughty little game with him do you?". This from a very charming, elderly British woman. Made me smile.