Reminisce: Dungeons and Dragons

Today was the day! Dungeons and Dragons Online was released! No, I didn't run out to get it, but I did hear a review of it today on the radio. It made me think back to sitting around the table and playing the imagination game. I miss playing. Does it make me a loser to want to still play? I don't care, it doesn't matter to me if some does think so. But it would be difficult to round up enough people my age these days to come to gether and spend entire afternoons in a world of fantasy. I guess most of us have more important things to do in the real world. Slaying dragons and finding treasure in the fantasy world kind of gets left behind (In the sort of way Peter Pan becomes Peter Panning in the movie "Hook").

I remember when the first attacks against the game came, family groups and parents condemning it as satanic and its players being more likely to commit violent crime. Well, I don't know about that. But I do know I praised the pencil and paper game (and continue to praise) for giving me something to do with my friends. For hanging out, working together to solve problems, leading, following... You know, things that turn out to be real skills that someone might need in the real world. Sure there was less at stake when your decisions only impacted an imaginary character that existed solely on paper...Or did it?

When playing the game, the charatcers are real. They are your alter ego. Your chance to escape the real world and live in the fantasy world, at least for an afternoon. When that character makes an incredible hit that saves the entire party and discovers an inordinate amount of treasure, you feel elation! You did it! And when that character made a poor choice and ended up as goo after some giant spider stings you, it was crushing. A part of you becomes goo too...Or did it?

But what did we gain and what did we lose in these situations? Time. When we celebrated our victories, we had great times with our friends and companions. When we mourned the loss of our character, we lost all the time we spent building up that character, but gained many great moments together with our friends in the real world while our alter egos went adventuring and spelunking in the fantasy world.

Dungeons and Dragons...thank you for bringing me closer to my friends...even if it did cost me some popularity and some dates growing up.