February 7, 2015: D&D Goes Mainstream

I just want to call everyone's attention to this search query I ran on Forbes.com, for "dungeons & dragons". There are quite a few articles in that list about D&D, aren't there? I mention this for a couple of reasons.

First, the new edition of D&D is really good, and I'm enjoying playing it. More importantly, though, D&D is being recognized by mainstream press outlets as a legitimate thing, a pastime that all sorts of folks engage in. This is a really good thing. A healthy D&D is generally an indicator of a healthy hobby in general. More people playing (and, perhaps more importantly, understanding) D&D means more people engaging with the hobby in general in a positive way. Society engaging in a positive way with the hobby leads to more people buying games, more people working in the industry, better wages in the industry, more attention for the hobby, and so forth. It's the start of a cycle of growth and health.

As gamers, we should be doing everything we can to get more people into the hobby. The more folks there are playing games, the more demand for games there is. That means more games for us. And that's a good thing.

-- Brian Engard