The Next, Next Gen

One of the ideas John and I discussed throughout the writing process was how to illustrate just how impactful Dungeons & Dragons has become. More than a few people have said the game, which once served as shorthand for “geek” in the popular culture, was an creative influence early in life.

As geek culture moved into the mainstream, D&D’s emphasis on storytelling, improvisation, and community helped shape the likes of writers, actors, and filmmakers.

The most easily identifiable influence, though, is on the modern computer game, which today has turned D&D-like games into a multi-billion dollar industry. Each game is trying to both expand upon the best parts of D&D and carve out that new, creative space that will inspire the next generation of players (and creatives).

People continue to write about what D&D means to them:

• Dungeons & Dragons, 40 Years Old, Makes You A Better Person
• Remembering 40 Years of Dungeons & Dragons

You can also follow the history of RPGS and see how D&D exists online today:

• The History of Role-playing Games [INFOGRAPHIC]
• Dungeons and Dragons Online announces 2014 player council

It’s also interesting to see just how differently people can use role-playing games to create stories that accomplish drastically different ideas:

• Indie RPG Wants To Change The Way You Fight Monsters
• The Day the Laughter Stopped – a simple, brutally effective game

But just as Richard Garriott and countless other developers took D&D and transformed it into myriad computer experiences in the ’90s and ’00s, the next generation of games promises to blend our imagination and the real world:.

• To create the ‘ultimate open world’ two ex-Ubisoft devs are scanning the planet
• Ex Ubisoft, EA Devs Reveal Ambitious RPG: ReRoll
• Survival RPG ReRoll Wants To Map (Most Of) The World