D and D: Why Hollywood is obsessed with a 50-year-old game

Nearly 50 years after the first Dungeons & Dragons were sold, the role-playing game is still played in kitchens, living rooms and game clubs around the world.

Its continued popularity is partly responsible for the latest Hollywood blockbuster adaptation.

An estimated 50 million people have rolled the dice and used their imaginations to take risks since Dungeons & Dragons came out.

In recent years, the game has found new audiences, with pop culture references, social media and pandemics encouraging people to give it a go.

This latest screen adaptation of the game (the first one was released back in 2000) is another example of the film industry relying on established intellectual property to encourage people to go to the cinema.

Whether it’s “Sonic the Hedgehog,” “Transformers,” or “Middle-earth,” famous characters and settings from other media have become mainstays in film release plans.

The team behind Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves claims that rather than capitalize on the game’s heritage to appeal to fans, they want to honor the game’s continuing legacy.

It might surprise some that a game that hasn’t really changed in nearly 50 years and relies on the player’s imagination to work is still relevant in the age of Fortnite and Tik Tok. However, D and D may be more popular now than ever.

If you’ve never sat down for a session, it’s basically a game where you play out scenarios, often full of unexpected twists, planned and orchestrated by the Dungeon Master.

You will use your mind to play roles such as wizard, thief or barbarian in fantasy environment. Dressing up a character or using a tabletop model is optional. Roll a lot of dice to figure out what’s going on or not in your story.

The Youtube channel Oxventure with thousands of subscribers is an example of how the game has maintained its relevance in the digital age.

Channels like this are growing in popularity, generating millions of views across the globe. According to Jane Douglas, one of Oxventure’s founders, the benefits of adult play are one of the reasons for its success.

“One of the most important things about tabletop role-playing games is that they’re fictional. Pretend playing for adults isn’t a whole lot you can do as an adult.

“It’s something you have to throw away as a kid, and then, with Dungeons and Dragons, I realized I could actually keep doing that. I could play fictional games and tell stories with my friends in a whole new way.”

It’s a theme echoed by Oxventure co-founder Mike Channel, who says it’s “a social experience about working together and collaborating. I think it’s important as an adult to try and use your imagination a little bit.” “.

The actors also serve as video game content creators, initially playing Dungeons & Dragons one-off on YouTube, until it became clear there was a market for more.

Douglas said: “We love storytelling, and we’re nerds too! I can say that in a loving way. We love the rules. We love video games too, and they have a huge debt to Dungeons and Dragons, which It’s because we play too much stuff on consoles.”

Oxventure co-founder Andy Farrant said the game’s traditional stereotypes have recently been challenged, leading newcomers to try it.

For some, role-playing games like these are seen as non-inclusive boys’ clubs where people are confined to play in dark rooms surrounded by complex rule books.

“One of the barriers to getting into Dungeons and Dragons is that not many people really know what it is unless they’ve played it,” Farrant said. “I think the TV show Stranger Things had a big impact.

“It showed a lot of people what Dungeons and Dragons was, and I think it changed a lot of people’s perception of it.”

Ellen Rose, who also works on the channel, said familiarity is the reason it found such an audience so many years after it was first created, “because it’s dwarves and elves and rangers and all that kind of stuff. People are familiar with It, which makes it easier to get into role-playing games.”

They’re not the only ones taking advantage of the game’s continued popularity. For example, Critical Role, a YouTube channel featuring Dungeons and Dragons, has nearly 2 million subscribers.

Michelle Rodriguez, who plays Holga in the film, insisted that the adaptation wasn’t just about cashing in on a well-known brand.

She told us that when someone approached her about the film, the first question she asked was: “Are you going to screw things up? Do you care? Are you just doing it for the money? Are you trying to make a film based on 50-year-old genre movie?” Free advertising?

“So my first reaction was fear. Then when I read the script, it all fell away, and the writers are real fans, they care.”

Chris Pine, who plays the thief Edkin in the film, said he got into the role-playing game by watching his nephew play.

“The idea that we have to please all the fans is ridiculous and impossible. I think it comes down to the story, if you don’t go into the movie and feel something, whether you pay for it or not, you’re screwed whether you pay attention to all the rules – it’s Is it a good story? Do you laugh or cry?

“This intellectual property is so huge that everyone who plays the game feels a sense of belonging to it because they all have their own unique stories. It’s impossible to keep them all happy, but the movie captures the spirit of it.” The game, that’s the best compliment to us.”

Rege-Jean Page is best known for her role as the deadpan Paladin in the first season of Netflix’s hit series “Bridgerton.”

He added: “It allows you to walk into a room and let your imagination work and remind yourself of what light you’ve been fighting for in the rest of the world. It sounds cheesy, but that’s what the film is peddling. s things! “

While gaming technology continues to evolve and improve, Dungeons & Dragons plays much the same today as it did in 1975 when it was invented by American Gary Gygax.

It came to the UK that same year, after it was first played by Sir Ian Livingstone and his colleagues Steve Jackson and John Peake. They would eventually import it and start the retail store, Games Workshop.

Sir Ian said: “We fell in love with the game immediately and ordered six copies because that was all the money we had in the world. Behind the order, Gary Gigax gave us a three-year copy of the game. Exclusive distribution agreement throughout Europe.

“He, like us, was also running the apartment at the time, so we were both playing the role of the merchant and also in the game!

“Dungeons and Dragons is a milestone in the history of gaming that opens up your imagination like never before, and I don’t think any game will.”

Despite a keen interest in the sport as far back as 1975, Sir Ian said he was still somewhat surprised by the lasting impact it had had, laughing: “Geeks have become hip.

“But we all love stories, we all love fantastic worlds, so why can’t we enjoy them as adults? What’s not to like if we can act part of it like we’re really there ?”