Analog Game Studies

Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) may very well be the most important game ever created. D&D, having evolved from the niche wargame Chainmail, is widely regarded as the first tabletop role-playing game. It is unlikely that David Arneson and Gary Gygax understood the impact their game would have back in 1974, but in this “golden age of D&D” we can understand its influence on many aspects of culture including contemporary fiction, live performance, and even educational practice. My own teaching philosophy relies heavily on my 20+ years of experience as a Dungeon Master, and I count myself among the many people who have been positively impacted by D&D. The book Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons is both exploration and celebration of this truly remarkable game.