D&D General Is D&D nostalgia the best nostalgia of them all?

[GuyBoy]

So, a story about rugby to segue on to D&D...

Last Friday, I went to support my 11 year old grandson in his first rugby match for his school. I would have been immensely proud regardless, but it was particularly special as he attends the same school that I did; a school founded in 1549, with an impressive rugby tradition. To see him playing, on the same pitches I did, wearing the navy and gold colours, brought back wonderful memories of tries scored, tackles made, injuries and friends. Great nostalgia.....and then there’s D&D

As well as rugby, I also played a lot of D&D at school and I still play it now ( 58 year old knees say no to rugby). The memories of D&D are even sweeter. Why?

My own view is that gaming ties in with the nostalgia inherent in myths, legends and fairy tales, and also ties in our interests in history. These, alongside the social nature of the game, place it in a unique position to offer the greatest nostalgia trip possible.
Far better than any try is the memory of defeating Nosnra in the Steading, of a 24 hour charity gaming marathon, of the sad death of my first character, Aelric, of Tier,an defeating the Witches of Marmon. Shades of Snow White, Beowulf, Achilles, Raven the Trickster, Wendigo but personalised. And enriched by ongoing stories, good and bad, from all the adventures since.

So, D&D, the finest nostalgia possible; agree?

PS the only lack compared with rugby was no grandson link.....but now, thanks to Stranger Things, both grandson and granddaughter want to play D&D. I wonder if they’ll agree to wear navy and gold!

 

[John R Davis]

Certainly a hint of rose tinted glasses meeting nostalgia giving very happy memories of gaming past.

 

[aco175]

I find nostalgia a tricky thing. I look back fondly on my Army days, but do not think about the cold, tired, hungry days sleeping in a swamp and only think about the fun times with the men I served with.

 

[Scott Christian]

My own view is that gaming ties in with the nostalgia inherent in myths, legends and fairy tales, and also ties in our interests in history. These, alongside the social nature of the game, place it in a unique position to offer the greatest nostalgia trip possible.

I think your reasoning is solid. I would add that most of us played at a time when we were learning about friendship; how to protect, serve and build them. Combining this magical age of revelation with a social game that plays to history and myths is a potent combination.

 

[Musing Mage]

I am sort of the opposite these days.

While I have some fond memories of playing back in the 80s and 90s, learning the game and having fun with friends - I also have a ton of crappy memories of games gone wrong. (one that ended up with 16 year old me throwing a fit and literally assaulting friends who had been disrespecting me all session - ending both the game and friendships with 4 people)

Whereas my gaming now, in my middle age is at a whole different level... to the point where the gaming I have done over the past decade will be the subject of nostalgia in a decade more or so. Nuanced, richly developed games and narratives with tons of player agency that my friends and I simply didn't have a grasp of in our misbegotten youth.

 

[Lyxen]

It's certainly the best for my friends and I, but it's hard to compare to that of other people.

 

[MGibster]

I find nostalgia a tricky thing. I look back fondly on my Army days, but do not think about the cold, tired, hungry days sleeping in a swamp and only think about the fun times with the men I served with.

When Band of Brothers aired on HBO in 2001, the History Channel had a special where they interviewed the men from Easy Company. At one point, one of the veterans said something like, "I know you see us sitting here laughing and having a good time like we were remembering a trip to Disneyland. But we're just so happy we survived." The thing about nostalgia is that we have a habit of filtering out the negatives to accentuate the negatives. And even when we talk about the negatives we often laugh about them. And when I'm nostalgic for D&D it's really more about the people I used to game with than it is about the game itself.

 

[el-remmen]

Nostalgia is a disease.

 

[niklinna]

AD&D was pretty much my only social outlet in an otherwise barren adolescence in a backwoods part of Michigan. No nostalgia for any part of my pre-adult life, although D&D helped a little.

But World of Warcraft, yow, do I have me some vanilla nostalia. Classic was quite a reminder that you can rarely go back.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Nostalgia is a disease.

Careful on that edge.

Nostalgia is primarily a healing method that allows us to remember what is useful about the past and retain strong connections, without reliving the trauma that actually came with it.

Modern Western culture has aggrandized nostalgia to a wildly unhealthy degree, but to claim that it is inherently unhealthy (which you have done by calling it a disease), is pure nonsense, unsupported by literally anything. You might as well claim that calories are inherently unhealhty because an overabundance will hurt you in various ways.