The Global Ascendance of Dungeons & Dragons

Fifty years ago, Dungeons & Dragons was a niche hobby played in basements. Today, it’s a full-blown cultural force. In this episode, we explore how a fantasy role-playing experiment built from war-game mechanics—complete with character classes, monster manuals, and the iconic 20-sided die—became one of the most influential storytelling engines of our time. From blockbuster hits like Honour Among Thieves to the runaway success of Baldur’s Gate 3, D&D’s world has exploded far beyond the tabletop. We revisit the “Satanic panic” that once made it infamous, the rules revisions and COVID-era boom that brought in a new generation, and the creators who now cite D&D as the birthplace of their imagination. How did a game about quests become a cultural quest of its own?https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/12/06/how-did-dungeons-and-dragons-win