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Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons

Edited by Premeet Sidhu, Marcus Carter and Jose P. Zagal

Edited by Premeet Sidhu, Marcus Carter and Jose P. Zagal

Edited by Premeet Sidhu, Marcus Carter and Jose P. Zagal

Edited by Premeet Sidhu, Marcus Carter and Jose P. Zagal

Best Seller
Paperback $35.00

May 14, 2024 | ISBN 9780262547604

Ebook $25.99

Nov 19, 2024 | ISBN 9780262377997

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    Paperback $35.00
    May 14, 2024 | ISBN 9780262547604

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      May 14, 2024 | ISBN 9780262547604

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    About Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons

    On the fiftieth anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, a collection of essays that explores and celebrates the game’s legacy and its tremendous impact on gaming and popular culture.

    In 2024, the enormously influential tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons—also known as D&D—celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. To mark the occasion, editors Premeet Sidhu, Marcus Carter, and José Zagal have assembled an edited collection that celebrates and reflects on important parts of the game’s past, present, and future. Each chapter in Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons explores why the nondigital game is more popular than ever—with sales increasing 33 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite worldwide lockdowns—and offers readers the opportunity to critically reflect on their own experiences, perceptions, and play of D&D.

    Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons draws on fascinating research and insight from expert scholars in the field, including: Gary Alan Fine, whose 1983 book Shared Fantasy remains a canonical text in game studies; Jon Peterson, celebrated D&D historian; Daniel Justice, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Literature and Expressive Culture; and numerous leading and emerging scholars from the growing discipline of game studies, including Amanda Cote, Esther MacCallum-Stewart, and Aaron Trammell. The chapters cover a diverse range of topics—from D&D’s adoption in local contexts and classrooms and by queer communities to speculative interpretations of what D&D might look like in one hundred years—that aim to deepen readers’ understanding of the game.

    About Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons

    On the fiftieth anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, a collection of essays that explores and celebrates the game’s legacy and its tremendous impact on gaming and popular culture.

    In 2024, the enormously influential tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons—also known as D&D—celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. To mark the occasion, editors Premeet Sidhu, Marcus Carter, and José Zagal have assembled an edited collection that celebrates and reflects on important parts of the game’s past, present, and future. Each chapter in Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons explores why the nondigital game is more popular than ever—with sales increasing 33 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite worldwide lockdowns—and offers readers the opportunity to critically reflect on their own experiences, perceptions, and play of D&D.

    Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons draws on fascinating research and insight from expert scholars in the field, including: Gary Alan Fine, whose 1983 book Shared Fantasy remains a canonical text in game studies; Jon Peterson, celebrated D&D historian; Daniel Justice, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Literature and Expressive Culture; and numerous leading and emerging scholars from the growing discipline of game studies, including Amanda Cote, Esther MacCallum-Stewart, and Aaron Trammell. The chapters cover a diverse range of topics—from D&D’s adoption in local contexts and classrooms and by queer communities to speculative interpretations of what D&D might look like in one hundred years—that aim to deepen readers’ understanding of the game.

    Product Details

    Category: Gaming Manuals | Puzzles & Games | Business

    Paperback | $35.00
    Published by The MIT Press
    May 14, 2024 | 392 Pages | 6 x 9 | ISBN 9780262547604

    Category: Gaming Manuals | Puzzles & Games | Business

    Ebook | $25.99
    Published by The MIT Press
    Nov 19, 2024 | 392 Pages | 6 x 9 | ISBN 9780262377997

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    Praise

    “Rather than another retread of why Dave hated Gary etc etc etc, Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons takes the refreshing stance of looking less at the game itself and rather the cultural impact it’s had over its lifetime. . . [The MIT Press] Game Histories series has reliably been the best source of books on RPGs over the past few years.”
    —Wyrd Science

    “Fifty Years of Dungeons and Dragons has . . . something to appeal to anyone interested in game history, game studies or even just the impact of games on popular culture. If you’re interested in the ways in which hobbyist culture can have a lasting impact on the world, Fifty Years is well worth a look.”
    —Fortean Times

    Table Of Contents

    PREFACE xi
    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii
    1 IS THIS THE GOLDEN AGE OF DUNGEONS & DRAGONS? 1
    Premeet Sidhu, Marcus Carter, and José P. Zagal
    INTRODUCTION TO DESIGNER VIGNETTES 13
    Sam Mannell
    FIFTY YEARS OF DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 15
    Designer Vignettes I
    2 FANTASY GAMES AT FIFTY: AN ACADEMIC MEMOIR 17
    Gary Alan Fine
    3 EXPLORATION AND EXPERIENCE: THE GAME CHANGERS 23
    Jon Peterson
    4 COMBAT IN DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: A SHORT HISTORY OF DESIGN TRAJECTORIES 43
    Evan Torner
    5 “DOCTOR HOLMES, I PRESUME?”: HOW A CALIFORNIA NEUROLOGY PROFESSOR PENNED THE FIRST DUNGEONS & DRAGONS BASIC SET 63
    Tony A. Rowe and Zach Howard
    6 REFLECTIONS ON THE OPEN GAME LICENSE: AN INTERVIEW WITH RYAN DANCEY 79
    Michael Iantorno
    7 PLAYING CUSTOM: A CURIOUS HISTORY OF DUNGEONS & DRAGONS–BASED DIGITAL GAMES MODIFICATIONS 91
    Mateusz Felczak
    8 A RETURN TO THE MAGIC CIRCLE: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS AND FRIENDSHIP & MAGIC FIFTY YEARS ON 109
    Stephen Webley
    INFLUENCING DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 119
    Designer Vignettes II
    9 “YOU’RE GOING TO BE AMAZING”: THE MERCER EFFECT AND PERFORMATIVE PLAY IN DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 121
    Esther MacCallum-Stewart
    10 THE OTHER D&D: RELIGION(S) IN DUNGEONS & DRAGONS FROM DEITIES & DEMIGODS TO TODAY 141
    Adrian Hermann
    11 SPELLING WITH DICE: THE ROLE OF DUNGEONS & DRAGONS IN CONTEMPORARY SPECULATIVE FICTION 161
    Dimitra Nikolaidou
    12 CLASSROOMS AND DRAGONS: LEARNING FROM DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 179
    Premeet Sidhu
    13 AN ENSEMBLE OF (ROLE-)PLAYERS? EXPLORING THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE ON DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 197
    David Harris and Josiah Lulham
    14 FORGING FAMILY THROUGH QUEER DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 211
    Jay Malouf-Grice
    CRITICALLY PLAYING DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 229
    Designer Vignettes III
    15 “RACE” AND RACE: LONGITUDINAL TRENDS IN DUNGEONS & DRAGONS CHARACTER CREATION 231
    Amanda Cote and Emily Saidel
    16 HACK THE ORCS, LOOT THE TOMB, AND TAKE THE LAND: REFLECTIONS ON SETTLER COLONIALISM, INDIGENEITY, AND OTHERWISE POSSIBILITIES OF DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 259
    Daniel Heath Justice
    17 SEEKING THE UNIMAGINABLE: RULES, RACE, AND ADOLESCENT DESIRE IN DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 275
    Aaron Trammell and Antero Garcia
    18 DEFAMILIARIZING DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: PLAYING OUT WESTERN FANTASY IN SINGAPORE 283
    Kellynn Wee
    19 SOFT COMMUNITIES AND VICARIOUS DEVIANCE IN DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 301
    Victor Raymond and Gary Alan Fine
    FUTURES 323
    Designer Vignettes IV
    20 D&D&D&D&D: IMAGINING DUNGEONS & DRAGONS AT 150 AND BEYOND 325
    Jonathan Walton

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