Now I Really Feel Old...

D&D turns 30.

Dungeons & Dragons is 30 years old, and its influence on culture is unmistakable

With D&D having just turned 30, it's clear that all those shy D&D lovers have been getting a lot more than just the last laugh. They rule Silicon Valley. They play bass in big thrash-metal bands. They take serious meetings in Hollywood. In our entertainment-based economy, the act of making stuff up — the heart of D&D — is a well-compensated skill set.

I never played D&D (or it's current version, AD&D) much... I didn't know any gaming geeks when I was in high school when it first came out, and I didn't get out to meet them when I was in college, the prime time for getting heavily into gaming. No, I started after college, and by that time my buddies had moved past AD&D to games like Runequest, GURPS, Hero (later Champions); and as time went by, Shadowrun and Earthdawn. However, as my circumstances changed (i.e., I had a kid and then got a job where I worked odd hours and weekends), I had to give it up. I still miss it, though... It's a nice way to blow off steam, being able to confront concrete problems with simple solutions -- that is to say, being able to go stop the Bad Guy and Be A Hero.

Although I know a few people that fit the stereotypical "gaming geek" mold, with poor social skills and worse hygiene, most of my gaming buddies have ended up 'normal' lives -- spouses, kids, jobs. I certainly don't know any that ended up the way Jack Chick would have you believe we all go -- chanting black masses and believing we can do real magic. I think it's a pretty good way to build imagination -- it certainly beats sitting in front of the TV or a computer screen.