2008 Woodie Awards
Dungeons and Dragons
Itâ?TMs not just for losers
By: Jamal Malik
Issue date: 3/10/06 Section: Features
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According to their website, Macalester's Gaming Society (MGS) sponsors â?oepretty much all non-athletic types of games,â?? including board games, card games, and video games. Within the club, the games that they play vary from person to person with one exception: they all role-play in some form.
For years, role-playing and Dungeons and Dragons have become synonymous. However, Kate Hill â?TM07, Vice President of MGS, listed more than seven role-playing games that she has participated in since joining her freshman year. One of the main reasons why she stayed with the club for almost three years is that she â?oeenjoyed trying out new systems.â?? That being said, D&D is still a popular choice.
D&D is a role-playing game, now owned by Wizards of the Coast (a big gaming company) that has spread exponentially since its inception in 1974. Each D&D game has one Dungeon Master, or â?oeDM,â?? who lays out a quest or campaign for any number of players to play through. Each player creates a customized character, adjusting things like race, class, and ability scores. The DM acts as a narrator, setting the backgrounds for the characters and determining what they interact with as the characters move through the campaign. Often when a player encounters something in the game (be it an enemy, a puzzle, or alcohol), a number of factors are taken into account to determine what happens. Usually the individual's ability scores and the rolling of a die are involved. Aside from dice, character sheets and a rulebook, nothing is really required to play D&D.
I sat in on part of the Gamer's Tea (Tuesday nights 10-12 p.m. on the upper floor of the campus center, for any interested) and asked a few questions about the stereotypes associated with D&D. Pop culture often portrays D&D as a game solely for geeks and losers, and for years radical Christians have denounced the game as Satanist. The MGS unilaterally responded that they don't directly or indirectly feel any prejudice. According to Matt O'Connor '06, â?oethe D&D stigma doesn't really exist in reality. It's like, the negative stereotype is the stereotype.â??
For years, role-playing and Dungeons and Dragons have become synonymous. However, Kate Hill â?TM07, Vice President of MGS, listed more than seven role-playing games that she has participated in since joining her freshman year. One of the main reasons why she stayed with the club for almost three years is that she â?oeenjoyed trying out new systems.â?? That being said, D&D is still a popular choice.
D&D is a role-playing game, now owned by Wizards of the Coast (a big gaming company) that has spread exponentially since its inception in 1974. Each D&D game has one Dungeon Master, or â?oeDM,â?? who lays out a quest or campaign for any number of players to play through. Each player creates a customized character, adjusting things like race, class, and ability scores. The DM acts as a narrator, setting the backgrounds for the characters and determining what they interact with as the characters move through the campaign. Often when a player encounters something in the game (be it an enemy, a puzzle, or alcohol), a number of factors are taken into account to determine what happens. Usually the individual's ability scores and the rolling of a die are involved. Aside from dice, character sheets and a rulebook, nothing is really required to play D&D.
I sat in on part of the Gamer's Tea (Tuesday nights 10-12 p.m. on the upper floor of the campus center, for any interested) and asked a few questions about the stereotypes associated with D&D. Pop culture often portrays D&D as a game solely for geeks and losers, and for years radical Christians have denounced the game as Satanist. The MGS unilaterally responded that they don't directly or indirectly feel any prejudice. According to Matt O'Connor '06, â?oethe D&D stigma doesn't really exist in reality. It's like, the negative stereotype is the stereotype.â??
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