Younger audiences find joy in Dungeons & Dragons as means of escapism, acceptance

Violet Black unfurls a maroon, leather dice mat atop one of the tables in the backroom of Meta-Games Unlimited. From inside a zipped pocket, Black carefully removes a set of light green dice, demonstrating how to roll them on the mat.

"As you can see, if you roll them on the table ..." Black pauses as she rolls a few dice on the wooden table, "... they'll make a lot of noise and sometimes that can be really hard in a room full of so many people, so it's better if you roll them on a mat or something."

Meta-Games Unlimited in Springfield is the first place Black, 13, played Dungeons & Dragons during the summer of 2022. The fantasy roleplaying tabletop game, first released in 1974, has gained widespread popularity in recent years with younger players like Black.

Television shows like Netflix's "Stranger Things" and Disney's "Gravity Falls" have introduced children and teenagers to the tabletop game, along with the more recent release of the movie "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" in March. Immersive podcasts like "Critical Role," which follow Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, have also gained converts.

Black's first game of Dungeons & Dragons was at one of Meta-Games Unlimited's free roleplaying days, held each Sunday afternoon. These roleplaying days offer several different games, including Dungeons & Dragons, for an array of skill levels. Black said she started at an introductory table and was instantly "captivated" by the game, which she described like a book.

"It's basically if you were to read a book but then go and actually be in it," Black said. "That's how a lot of people feel reading, but I feel like it actually feels different when you're controlling everything."

Since that first game, Black has continued playing at Meta-Games Unlimited and in her school's roleplaying club at The Summit Preparatory School. She has also served as a "dungeon master" at both school and Meta-Games Unlimited. A dungeon master is the game organizer, in charge of creating the details and challenges within a game.

Black said she enjoys serving as a dungeon master because she can craft her own worlds and situations, however, she prefers playing as active characters in games.

During a Dungeons & Dragons game, players work together to tell a collective story. While the dungeon master creates the story outline, players have the ability to change the story's course using their imagination and character skills. Players may participate in a campaign, which can be played over several days, weeks, months or even years, or a one-shot, where a story is completed in one setting, usually over a few hours.

Getting up to speed

First released by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. in 1974, Dungeons & Dragons is now owned by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro.

Though a part of mainstream culture today, this wasn't always the case for Dungeons & Dragons. During the height of the so-called Satanic Panic in the 1980s, the tabletop game was often tied, without substantial evidence, to some of the more than 12,000 cases of alleged Satanic ritual abuse. One of the most well-known cases was that of James Dallas Egbert III, who, at the age of 16, disappeared from his dorm room at Michigan State University in 1979.

According to the BBC, Egbert suffered from depression and drug addiction and was eventually found in the utility tunnels under the university during an episode of self harm. Just a year later, Egbert died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Despite the evidence of Egbert's mental illness, many associated his case with his participation in Dungeons & Dragons games.

Egbert's case was deemed the "Steam Tunnel Incident" and inspired the creation of several works of fiction, including the novel "Mazes and Monsters," which lead to the 1982 film of the same name starring Tom Hanks.

Stephen Buck, owner of Cards 'n Stripes Games in Republic, remembers when Dungeons & Dragons wasn't accepted by mainstream audiences but has enjoyed watching the perspective shift.

"I would say that the stigma that has come along with it has been, I won't say nullified, but diminished based off of things like 'Stranger Things,' 'Big Bang Theory,'" Buck said. "There, you have a sitcom that talks openly about this thing and people were realizing that maybe it's not a bad thing at all."

In 2020, the game celebrated its best year; Wizards of the Coast claimed more than 50 million played the game since its release.

Schools provide accessible gameplay

Roleplaying clubs at schools like The Summit Preparatory School are growing more common, providing children and teenagers with an interest in playing games like Dungeons & Dragons an accessible space to do so.

Chris Wilson, a teacher at John Thomas School of Discovery in Nixa, began implementing Dungeons & Dragons into his club, Hall of Heroes, during the 2022-2023 school year. When Wilson established the club 14 years ago, it centered around comic books and over the years has expanded into more "nerdom," Wilson said.

"When 'Stranger Things' hit, the kids were like, 'Mr. Wilson, what about this D&D thing? What is all that?'" Wilson recalled.

With experience playing Dungeons & Dragons, Wilson created the initial story for the club's 15-16 regular members. Then, Wilson split the club members in half and facilitated two campaigns. The Halls of Heroes club meets every Wednesday morning during the school year.

"These 10, 11, 12 and sometimes 13-year-olds ... get up to come to school at 7 a.m. just so they can play," Wilson said.

Although game shops like Meta-Games Unlimited host Dungeons & Dragons games, school clubs may be the only opportunity a child or teenager has to play.

Logan Norvell, 16, first started playing Dungeons & Dragons at age eight at Meta-Games Unlimited, but he knows that experience isn't the same for all his peers.

"Unfortunately from what I've seen actually, there's a lot of people my age interested in the game, but they don't really have the means to actually play it," Norvell said.

Chris Fernández, owner of Haven Games in Nixa, said when children or teenagers come to play store-hosted Dungeons & Dragons games, they are usually accompanied by a parent who is also interested in playing. Haven Games hosts Dungeons & Dragons one-shot games every Friday night.

To help reach children who may not have a ride to game stores, Haven Games partnered with the Nixa School District last year to sponsor a Dungeons & Dragons club. Fernández said the club had a "very good turnout," with 12-20 regular members.

"It's a far cry from what we get here at the store," Fernández said of the school club's membership. On Friday nights, Fernández said it's typical for two to four children to come play with their parents. "It's because the store is obviously farther, they have to come over here and they're kids so they need transportation, so they rely on their parents to bring them."

A means of escapism, widespread acceptance

Fernández, who also enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons, said he believes younger audiences are gravitating toward the game because of the element of escapism.

"They get to roleplay as someone and a lot of us use D&D as an escape," Fernández said. "Being able to roleplay as a character who's stronger than your real self, it lets you be someone you're not or someone you aspire to be. It really helps give them a sense of self in some way."

Cole Asher, 18, who began playing Dungeons & Dragons with a group of friends at 16, echoed Fernández.

"I think it helps people my age detach from the real world," Asher told the News-Leader. "No matter what age, race, what your home life looks like, how your doing in school or at work, it all fades away for a few hours and allows you to express yourself and fulfill your wildest dreams."

One of the reasons Black enjoys Dungeons & Dragons is because players can put aside their differences in real life and work together during the game.

"Even if you're not really agreeing with someone in real life about how they feel about something, you can get along with them just fine," Black said. "I also like how everyone is so welcoming. I don't think anyone has specifically been angry about someone joining D&D, and I think that's a really nice part of it."

Where can kids play Dungeons & Dragons in and around Springfield?

Most game shops in the area have rooms or tables available for folks to use for their own Dungeons & Dragons games. Some also host scheduled campaigns and/or one-shots for gamers to join in on:

• Meta-Games Unlimited (3309 E. Sunshine St. Suite A), every Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.;

• Haven Games (701 N. McCroskey St. Suite 6 in Nixa), every Friday from 6-9 p.m.;

• Cards 'n Stripes Games (1206 US-60 E. in Republic), campaign games every other Saturday, one-shot games every other Saturday.

On the first Sunday of each month, Meta-Games Unlimited hosts an introductory game of Dungeons & Dragons. The game shop manages a public Facebook Group, "Springfield Meta-Games D&D" for folks interested in learning more about the game or engaging with other players.

The Springfield-Greene County Library District Library Station has also hosted a Dungeons & Dragons one-shot game during "Teen Night!" The Library Station hosts "Teen Night!" every Friday from 6-7:30 p.m. Library Youth Service Associates Savannah Hartje and Ewan Harrison said if teenagers have an interest in playing Dungeons & Dragons at the library, they should inform library staff.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Dungeons & Dragons grows in popularity among younger players