Media Convergence

Media Convergence

A television show that started with four boys playing the Dungeons and Dragons game has come full circle. Stranger Things, the Netflix blockbuster which first aired in 2016 has taken the world by storm. The show has spawned multiple novels, comics, graphic novels, and one D&D 5th edition Stranger Things module. There are multiple video games, toys, and merchandise based on the hit show. And one globe-traveling Stranger Things Experience. In addition, cast members often appear in D&D livestreams.

Livestreams: https://youtu.be/b7-vlUdoVAE https://youtu.be/RFcfJm3SqGk

Critical Role, the celebrated live-streaming phenomenon began as a friendly pen-and-paper game of Pathfinder in the home of star Liam O’Brien. After a few months, the little game was invited to stream on Geek & Sundry, on the condition they switch to 5th edition D&D, and the rest as they say is history. In six years Critical Role has come to dominate Twitch’s payroll, launch their production studio, and publish multiple setting books based on their homebrew world. Their livestream has been broken into three distinct campaigns. The first campaign titled, Vox Machina has a successful, albeit mature, cartoon on Amazon Prime complete with toys and merchandise. The characters are also available to select and play in the game, Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire.

The Role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons was created in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in Gygax’s basement. Its origin is a pen-and-paper dice game fueled by imagination. In its infancy players implemented theatre of the mind to envision the world. Since its inauspicious beginnings, D&D has innovated an amazing toolset, from physical minis and battle mats to the precipice of the digital frontier.

The D&D brand has launched movies, comics, and multiple award-winning video games. When I was a boy the industry was simply called the RPG industry. Three decades later the video game industry has long since snatched the RPG moniker from its predecessor, regulating pen and paper games to the tabletop moniker. Although, it appears as if that cycle has come full circle. It’s only fitting that D&D is once again innovating and changing the game in new directions. One D&D is taking the game and the hobby digitally with an immersive tabletop setting built into the Unreal game engine. The game that inspired so many video games throughout the years will now become video game-like. I’m left reminded of a quote from Superman’s father to Superman.