"How D&D saved my life: New Yorker column" Topic

An interesting look at D&D from a mainstream source:
link

I don't care for fantasy at all but this column struck a chord with me even for this 'historical' gamer.

Pretty cool article. Thank you.

That was a good article. Thanks for sharing it.

I played D&D with all three of my sons when they were growing up. Just about every weekend they and their friends were at our house until the wee hours of the morning. It cost me a fortune in pizza, soda, and snacks, but I got the priceless advantage of knowing where my boys were on Fridays and Saturday nights, not to mention knowing the type and character of the guys they were hanging with and many of them still keep in touch with me. All three were also atheletes playing football, basketball, and baseball and did great in school and college. Now that they are grown they all have great jobs as network/computer engineers. Every Thursday my youngest and three of my "gaming" sons still come to the house to play something with the "old man" (right now we're in a pathfinder campaign). What more could a man ask for… (oh also got the privilege of taking two of my grandons to Historicon this year!!)

Every second Thursday, me, my wife, my son, my brother, my niece, my nephew and some friends get together to play D&D. It is like a mini family reunion and bonding experience all in one.

Many if us would have never met, or not be so close if it were not for D&D.

Mike

Yup – very interesting. Thanks!

Doug

That was a great read. Many of the points he brings up reflect my experience in the 80s also. I haven't played an rpg for decades, but I have to say reading an article like this makes me want to crack out the old books and give it a go again. Thank you for sharing this!

yup. it wasn't D&D for me but Battletech in the early 90s.

got me doing math voluntarily, and brought me out of a dark time in middle school. i never did get into any of the particular pitfalls of teen hood(drugs, drinking, and other general hooliganism)mostly because before i even hit high school i was attending weekly Friday night and Sunday afternoon sessions of a local gaming club.

I'm also a video gamer, but I'd still rather get together for a miniature game any day for the real social contact.

I played in the eighties as well. Great memories of my school days and the friends now gone. Every year I treat myself to a D&D module or two or a supplement. I have no intentions of actually playing the game nor using the module, but I enjoy looking through it and reminiscing.