21 Reasons Dungeons & Dragons Is *THE* Game Of The Pandemic Era
In 2020, the world faced lockdowns, COVID-19 surges, and public gatherings happening few and far between for most. While some people found their own ways of dealing with isolation, there was one pastime that surprisingly flourished: Dungeons & Dragons.
Connecting those separated by quarantine and continuing their adventures to escape the surreal world around them, D&D is not only bringing friends together once again in 2021, but helping many navigate through tense social and political times.
1.It’s Perfect for Virtual Play!
If you’re wary about in-person get-togethers or are immuno-compromised, Dungeons & Dragons is a fantastic option for online playing without the technical complications or addictive properties of MMORPGs. With a working camera, dice, a character sheet, and an internet connection, you’re good to play safely and securely from the comfort of your own home.
2.It's Also Perfect for Small Gatherings!
However, Dungeons & Dragons also functions as a solid gaming option for those comfortable with organizing very small gatherings. Due to the limited number of participants and the potential infrequency of play, hosts of the game shouldn’t find many issues with players getting rapid tests (or, for extra personal security, vaccinations) prior to each game while keeping the risk for exposing others low.
3.In-Person Games Are Easy to Social Distance!
If you fall into the latter category comfortable with in-person gameplay, Dungeons & Dragons is simple enough in nature that distancing among players, dependent on the number of participants, could be easy enough, even at the same table. Plus, if the weather is so fitting, D&D makes for an exceptional outdoor activity as well, where the open-air environment might make some more nervous players amenable for in-person play.
4.It’s Great for Long (and Short) Play!
During the pandemic, the one thing the majority of people had during lockdown and quarantine was time. While some dedicated their time to perfecting their hobbies, exercising, or streaming, others found a great way to knock out several hours each week in the immersive world of Dungeons & Dragons, as single sessions can easily go for hours. On the contrary, one-off, contained Dungeons & Dragons games are perfect for those looking for a fun, silly way of killing an hour or two.
5.It’s Easy to Stock Up for Dungeons & Dragons!
Though pandemic restrictions have made for major supply chain issues with goods around the country, Dungeons & Dragons is a surprisingly easy game to navigate. Outside of the instant availability of online books, guides, and character sheets, other accessories such as custom dice, dice trays, and DM shields are available through major outlets as well as your local collectibles shop (if you’re looking for a day-of pick-up). Heck, even those who go all-out for their D&D character and gameplay experiences can access goods through Etsy and other specialized companies that should arrive in a matter of days.
6.You Can Kill More Time With Your Character’s Backstory!
If the sudden lack of your regular out-and-about routine has left you with little options, Dungeons & Dragons can provide you with opportunities to dive into the game outside of playing hours. Once you have your character in mind, you can easily get lost in building or refining your character’s backstory, which can influence your in-game interactions or even offer an extra dimension to your Game Master’s arc for your character down the road.
7.It's Good for Reconnecting With Faraway Friends!
Prior to the pandemic, Dungeons & Dragons was a game that could be altered by unexpected changes to real-life circumstances, especially for players who relocated out-of-state or Game Masters losing their communal playing space. However, the COVID-19 pandemic proved that virtual gameplay was easy and cost-effective for players, which enabled long-paused games to begin again in a digital space like Zoom, Discord, Roll20, and Slack. Furthermore, Dungeons & Dragons makes for a stellar excuse to reconnect with old, long-distance friends while avoiding the cringeworthy small talk associated with the real world.
8.It’s Easy to Leave!
Dungeons & Dragons is easy enough to play and, for the majority of players, it’s easy enough to depart! If your schedule suddenly becomes busier with a reinstated commute or changes to your personal life, a Game Master shouldn’t have much issue with sidelining (or, in more permanent cases, killing off) your character as opposed to the complicated and tense process of quitting an athletic team or avocational organization.
9.It’s Also Easy to Return!
If you previously had to leave a game for circumstances outside of your control and have the opportunity to rejoin, Dungeons & Dragons enables each Game Master to easily help lapsed players get back into the playing field. Whether it is through creating a new character via DnDBeyond, a go-to online resource for any Dungeons & Dragons campaign, or pulling strings to reintroduce existing characters in the current narrative, it should not take long to get back into the groove of things if you get the itch to play again.
10.It Can Refine Your Improv Skills!
As a role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons allows you to inhabit the mind of a character in a fantasy setting, whether it’s a seedy assassin, a rage-filled monster, or a magic-inclined elf. In doing so, you’re provided with the opportunity to think, act, and speak in a manner completely outside of your own personality, which naturally helps sharpen your improvisation skills. With many improvisations and acting classes going digital or halting entirely during the pandemic, Dungeons & Dragons is a free resource for those looking to learn how to “yes, and” in any given situation.
11.You Can Play Where You're Comfortable!
While video games can require access to a PC, console, and monitor, Dungeons & Dragons offers players from all walks of life the flexibility to participate in their most comfortable state. Whether you're curled up in bed with a blanket and hot chocolate, lounging in your chair with a glass of rum, or operating in a high-tech custom gaming system, Dungeons & Dragons allows in-person and virtual gamers to find their perfect place and circumstances for RPG shenanigans.
12.Dungeons & Dragons is fun!
If there's any reason to give Dungeons & Dragons a try, it's that the game is really, truly fun. Essentially highlighting a method of collaborative storytelling, Dungeons & Dragons can provide thrills, suspense, shocks, and laughs in an unpredictable and unique fashion not found in other games or entertainment mediums.
13.Dungeons & Dragons is therapeutic!
With the tension between friends, co-workers, neighbors, and family members in today's social and political climates, Dungeons & Dragons not only provides an escape into the surreal but a fairly great excuse to exorcise some of your personal demons. After all, taking your frustrations out on a group of orc bandits is a lot better than putting a hole in your wall and less time-consuming than a long, introspective drive to nowhere.
14.You Can Play With Strangers!
During the height of the pandemic, some Dungeons & Dragons diehards decided to jump into the world of virtual gaming on stranger tides, joining campaigns with complete strangers through communities such as Roll20, DnDBeyond, and even Reddit. However, as the vaccine roll-out made gatherings safer, players departed to tabletop cafes and convention spaces that allowed for one-off games to relight the spark in these communities.
15.There Are Plenty of Accessible Resources!
One of the best things about Dungeons & Dragons is that there are so many options to customize gameplay to your liking, whether it's the myriad guide books (most of which are accessible digitally), gaming modules, standard maps, and even YouTube videos that can serve as inspiration. Whether you're working off your printer or an Adobe Creative Suite, Dungeons & Dragons has a world of practical resources that you can find in any basic Google search.
16.It Is a Creative Outlet for Pandemic Hobbies!
During the COVID-19 lockdown and quarantine, many people decided to turn their attention to hobbies, such as baking, painting, and writing, to name only a few. Luckily, Dungeons & Dragons enables many pandemic hobbies to be utilized, including cosplaying, custom artwork, and miniature painting. In fact, those who are musically inclined can even write music for their bard character!
17.It Provides Attainable Goals!
After 2020 turned out to be a bust for most people thanks to the pandemic, many people made goals for 2021, whether it was to reconnect with friends after re-openings, lose their quarantine weight gain, or even find a new career. Well if major life changes are a bit daunting, Dungeons & Dragons offers enough simple missions, tasks, and narrative moments to fulfill your sense of accomplishment when the going gets rough.
18.It's a Potential Content Generator!
Dungeons & Dragons is not only a role-playing game, but an opportunity to become your own content generator. With the following of D&D on platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, and Patreon, the game is bolstered by a narrative platform that you can parlay into a podcast, vlog, or streaming show, all of which can be done in the comfort and safety of your home.
19.It Can Be a Family Affair!
The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly tough for parents, many of whom continue to struggle with finding new ways of engaging and entertaining their children. Well, Dungeons & Dragons can be a family-friendly experience that allows kids to explore the depths of their imagination while potentially learning about morality and social interactions along the way.
20.There Are Plenty of Existing Starting Points!
With several games and virtual experiences during the pandemic, people could become quickly overwhelmed by just attempting to find a proper and accessible starting point. However, Dungeons & Dragons is a simple game to learn, and there are various pre-made game modules that make beginning a campaign incredibly easy, which can come in handy when trying to navigate uncharted waters with multiple first-time online players.
21.It's Affordable as Heck!
With so many people strapped for cash given the current economic climate, Dungeons & Dragons is a pastime that can be incredibly cost-effective. With online services often available for free, the actual tools of the game come down to basic dice (which will run you about $5–$10) and some method of recording details, whether it's pen and paper or a Word document. In fact, pre-created modules for Game Masters are more affordable than ever as well, making D&D more practical for those with little income than big-budget video games or overpriced rentals.
