05/09/2025
Watching other people play Dungeons & Dragons on shows like Critical Role and Dimension 20 has become the cultural norm for fans of tabletop roleplaying games.
It is often a gateway for new players to see how the game is played before getting their feet wet with a new gaming group.
But many of us are old enough to have lived through the Satanic Panic, the normalized bullying, the marginalization that came with enjoying a game that you had to play in the garage with your friends.
Live play is inarguably a good thing for the growth and normalization of the hobby, and the joy of bringing stories to life in a small group.
Feelings can become complicated, however, when you watch other people enjoy a meteoric rise to fame for doing the exact same thing you wanted to do but got your ass kicked up and down instead.
It would be easy to fester in bitter resentment and hate anyone who got to live your dreams right in front of you. It would be easy to pick nits and find faults, and sour grape your way through never getting to enjoy this fun, funny, wonderful thing that everyone else is. This happens to a lot of gamers as they age and fail to grow.
They get left behind.
But what if at least one of the stars in this constellation were so good, so wholesome, that you had no choice but to heal?
When you grow up hated for your hobbies, it's weird to wake up one day to find them celebrated and richly rewarded. Are they in good hands?
