Dungeons and Dragons is growing in popularity. Here's why.

For Cameron Henderson, Dungeons and Dragons was introduced to him at a young age, thanks to his dad who would get together and play with his friends.

“They’d be sitting around the kitchen table, busting a gut. My dad was a trucker and he didn’t get to laugh often. So when he would sit around with all of his friends and I heard them laughing so hard about what they were doing in their adventures, it attracted me to it,” said Henderson.

The significance of the game never dwindled for Henderson as he now gets to play and laugh with his friends for days on end.

This is just one of the many examples of how the game is attractive to people around the world, and it is continuing to move into the mainstream.

Henderson runs the Dungeons and Dragons Winnipeg Facebook page and said people of all backgrounds play the role-playing adventure game, noting it has shed its stereotype from when it was first released – nerdy kids playing in their parent’s basement.

“I haven’t gone to a single job interview in my lifetime where I haven’t mentioned Dungeons and Dragons and somebody in the room hasn’t played it.”

Ben Shantz, the general manager at GameKnight Games said the online presence of the game has made it more accessible and easier to play, especially during the pandemic the last two years.

“We’ve certainly seen a massive boom and lots of online groups,” said Shantz. “Online, whether it be Zoom, Discord, what have you, has proven a very viable platform on which to play the game. So I think gamers were very prepared for some of the challenges the pandemic posed for us.”

The newest fifth edition is also another reason for Shantz on why the game has grown in popularity, saying it gives the best of the best for what the game has to offer.

The entertainment industry is also a reason for the growing popularity in Henderson’s mind as the game has popped up in shows such as ‘The Big Bang Theory’, ‘Stranger Things’ and a trailer has even been released for a new Dungeons and Dragons movie.

“(Stranger Things) paints it in a light it should be painted. They’re rolling dice, they’re having fun and a bunch of kids are working towards a common objective,” said Henderson.

Both Shantz and Henderson encourage people to get involved in the game if they have never played before, saying there are many avenues people can explore.

From online chat groups to start up programs in game stores, they said the options are endless for people to let their imagination run wild in the world of fantasy and adventure.

They said the key to having a successful game, is playing with the right people and having a lot of laughs while at the table.