In the series Stranger Thingsthe kids, when they are not chased by demons, play Dungeons & Dragons (D&D for short), the iconic role-playing game and still largely the leader of the genre in 2022. It is very likely that Hawkins’ children discovered the game, like millions of American children of the 1980s, in the opening sequence of AND the alienSteven Spielberg’s cult film released in 1982.
Forty years later, the young spectators of Stranger Things discover the game in turn thanks to a work of pop culture. “Since 2014, there has been growing interest in D&D around the world,” said Thomas Weng, D&D product manager at Wizards of the Coast. Appearances in modern pop culture such as in Stranger Things Where Ready Player One played an important role in this development which is part of a larger movement. Fantasy and science fiction, role-playing games and video games have become part of mainstream culture. »
A niche game, available in supermarkets
In 2023 the film will be released Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Thievesbut also the video game Baldur’s Gate 3, taken from the D&D universe which is definitely on the rise. “The potential for D&D as a fantasy entertainment franchise is huge,” Thomas Weng greedily analyzes. These entertainments allow us to attract new fans to the franchise. The new starter box The Dragons of Storm Island, which will be released in October in French, will help us convert these newcomers into role-playing gamers. »
Naetherion, role-playing influencer, is convinced, “D&D has the economic power to continue to impose its domination. It’s the only role-playing game available in supermarkets, for example… And the only one to have a notoriety well beyond the role-playing community alone. And above all, D&D knows how to evolve to attract new players. “D&D is not necessarily the ideal game to start with because its system is heavy and complex. But the game publishers have understood this and have simplified the rules, without distorting them, in my opinion, ”says the specialist, and fan since a young age, of D&D.
“We can eat Dungeons & Dragons morning, noon and evening thanks to the Internet and social networks! »
Above all, Naetherion, itself very present and identified on Twitch with its popularization videos, observes that D&D benefits from an online community which “serves as a relay to attract newcomers. It has become very easy to become familiar with the universe online. You can eat D&D morning, noon and night on the Internet and social networks with YouTube videos of games, tutorial streams, teasers of new editions – that’s the marketing side. The transmission is done like that today. »
Another role play is possible
“The hegemony of D&D is a bit sad and a shame, because its game system is very limiting, for its part Nicolas, role-playing games influencer, as Shizumaru on Twitter. Many gamers come to roleplaying with the image they have of D&D. But it is a dense game and not easy to access. However, today, there is another way to play. Game systems have diversified and have thus favored the inclusion of new people in the leisure. There are one shot games, in one game, those without a game master like For the Queenwhich is great, others that are played in two hours…”
Quick and easy games? Something to overturn the cliché of the role-playing game that takes place over several sessions of several hours, learning obscure rules. “The biggest difficulty in role-playing is organizing the sessions, not learning the rules,” insists Nicolas. With the confinements, online role-playing games have experienced a gigantic explosion. The sites are increasingly popular and easy to use. I barely played online three years ago. I got into it by force of circumstance, and today it is the essence of my practice. »
Roll D20 on the inclusivity board
To complete the loop of the virtuous circle in which the role-playing game has embarked, after the new systems having attracted new players, this new generation of role-players encourages creators to diversify their creations. And even, new creators upset the offer. “Today we have games with proposals that were unthinkable in the 1980s”, develops Nicolas who cites as an example jiangshi“ a role-playing game about a Chinese family who arrives in America in the 1950s. This kind of story changes completely after the very orientalizing and embarrassing role-playing games, which showed an embarrassing fantasized Asia. There’s also Spire the Uprising, set in a city occupied by High Elves, where a terrorist cell of Dark Elves are fighting for their freedom. This game questions anti-colonialism by drawing on fantasy clichés. We have a character who resolves everything through violence, one who steals, one who trades… There is a real point. »
“There are players who take the latest edition of Dungeons & Dragons, and use it to question the construction of the genre. »
This kind of creations was made possible by the inclusion, in the role-playing community, of players or LGBT+ or racialized people. Juliet Lancel, freelance historical researcher and photographer, welcomes this movement. “I rubbed shoulders with people from the generation traumatized by the terrible program of Mireille Dumas, symbol of the amalgam that affected role-players. Today there are different recreational practices, some very progressive, others clearly reactive. It is an issue of struggles within the community. Role-playing can be a wonderful medium for talking about feminism, gender, anti-imperialism, etc. This is developing, but it’s still far from being the norm. But today, I see the emergence of very poetic, very artistic games. There are even people who grab the latest edition of D&D, and use it to question the construction of the genre. »
Misogynists are like trolls, they live in caves
If the cliché of the role-player, a little closed geek – see racist and misogynist – has a hard life, Naethelion wants to believe that it “concerns a vociferous minority of role-players. We are talking about a community itself marginalized for a long time. There are a lot of traumas for these survivors who are generally adorable and very welcoming people. As in all geek universes…”
Nicolas also remains hopeful of a progressive evolution of the role-playing community: “Role-playing doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Like all media and leisure related to imaginary cultures, it attracts more female profiles than before. Role-players as a retrograde male community is a relic. But it’s still very difficult to argue that there was a problem on that side, and that it’s still sometimes very difficult for women to get into the role play. Players had to bear witness to the assaults and insults of all kinds that they suffered at role-playing tables for awareness to be raised. Today, clubs and conventions have adopted charters of good conduct, which denounce and prohibit unacceptable behavior, and sexist, racist, homophobic remarks… There is archaic resistance but I believe that these are marginal fringes . »
And as in any society, inclusivity is not without debates. “There is an interesting debate, for example, around the X card, explains Juliette Lancel. It is a card placed on the table during the games. And if, at some point, what is happening, what is being played out or is being told in the game but a participant is too uncomfortable, she touches the card and we change the subject. It is very useful to secure some people and bring them to the role play but for some it is unacceptable and it distorts the game.
A golden age of role-playing games?
For Nicolas and many players on the contrary, welcoming these new players enriches the environment. “Anything can be done with role-playing. I often say to newcomers “Imagine any story, in any setting, there’s probably a roleplaying game that does that.” Today there are games about coping with difficult grief, romantic comedies, games in the world of Teen Wolf Where Twilight. »
“Gamers with a geeky soul have been sucked into more powerful media like video games. »
So much so that some, beyond the success of D&D, believe they are living in a golden age of role-playing games. “The real golden age was before the arrival of World of Warcraft on PC, however Mathieu Saintout, publication director from Arkhane Asylum editions. At that time, role-playing games could sell between 10,000 and 15,000 copies in France. Today, a very good sale is 5,000 copies. We did not recover this population, players with a geek soul were caught up in more powerful media such as video games. This is why Mathieu Saintout relies, among other things, on role-playing games adapted from successful video games. fallout, Dishonored, The Witcher… “Everyone wins because the publishers of these games cannot tell everything in their universes. Each situation must be coded, illustrated, it takes time. With a well-designed role-playing game, all kinds of situations can be explored. This is why young players appreciate role-playing games in known universes that they want to be able to explore freely. And for us, it allows us to rely on the notoriety of the supporting work and minimize the risk of a flop. »
New generation, new experiences
However, Mathieu Saintout also notes that role-playing today is experiencing great creativity. “There have always been independent, innovative, daring role-playing games… But today, thanks to social networks run by young players, and thanks to the crowdfunding system used by all publishers, these games reach a wider audience. audience than before. Creativity shows up better. The director of Arkhane Asylum cites in particular Alice is Missingwhere players communicate by sending each other messages on social networks.
This TikTok generation of role-players is impatiently awaiting the arrival of a game… Dungeons & Dragons: One D&D version 100% playable and developed online and in network.
The final word goes to Naetherion who passionately pleads for his media: “With role-playing you enter a bubble of experience where you can test things without the fear of failure that can paralyze in everyday life. . You can try jumping the ravine! You can embody someone you’re not – inquiring, exchanging identities. You can experience things that you couldn’t do in the society where failure is very frowned upon and hard to overcome. For people who are minorities, it also allows them to be on an equal footing. Everyone is on the same level – regardless of origin or background – at a role-playing table. And when we leave the game, we are stronger. »