STRANGER THINGS AND DnD
Eddie Munsen in Stranger Things playing Dungeons and Dragons with the Hellfire Club
How it started
In the Summer of 2016, everything was calm, then like a crack of lightning, blood dripped from a nose, and everyone with a Netflix subscription was introduced to a lovable group of pre-teens from Hawkins Indiana.
Stranger Things erupted into the Sci-Fi world and got bigger and bigger, with season 4 nearly breaking the internet. While I am a massive fan of the show, the emphasis of this editorial will be less on the impact it had on pop culture and more on the infamous role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons.
Dungeons and Dragons and “Nerds”
Before Stranger Things, most people had heard of Dungeons and Dragons (also referred to as DnD) and its association with “nerds” dressing up and playing in their mom’s basement, but no one knew what it was and how to play.
Although DnD had appeared on many shows like Freaks and Geeks, Community, and Big Bang Theory, for some reason none of them affected DnD like Stranger Things.
How Stranger Things changed the DnD
Even though DnD already had a big following before Season 4 of Stranger Things, it was unprecedented how people reacted to the Hellfire Club.
A similar article about DnD by winteriscoming.net said this about the effect “According to im-a-puzzle.com”, Google searches for how to play Dungeons and Dragons shot up by 600% since the first seven episodes of Stranger Things season 4 dropped on Netflix on May 27”.
Beside just an increase in searches, I believe Stranger Things has permanently changed the culture and opinions of Dungeons and Dragons forever.
Vintage DnD essential set
DnD and Me
Now comes the vulnerable part, I love playing Dungeons and Dragons. Wow, I’m glad I got that off my chest. I was first introduced to the game in 2020 when I lived with an old mission companion.
He was the DM, aka the person who runs the game and describes different scenarios for us to react to, and our apartment played several times a week. Since then I have played with several other friends who have since gotten into DnD.
Dungeons and Dragons has now become one of my favorite past times! It is a unique creative outlet that allows me to learn problem solving skills. I have learned since I started playing that many businesses play DnD for that reason.
Everyone is Slaying Dragons These Days
What I discovered when I first started playing, while I lived in Provo, is that it seems like everyone knows someone who plays and its hard not think thats it popularity came from Stranger Things.
What used to be a secretive almost taboo hobby has turned into a new way to bond friends. Even though I am still a little bit embarrassed to admit that I play dnd, without the mainstreamification of it due to Stranger Things I would never have been introduced to it and I think that goes for many who have picked up the hobby since the show started.
Stranger Things Season 4 Hellfire Club gathered
What Is Dungeons And Dragons
At this point you might be asking yourselves the questions, what really is Dungeons and Dragons, how do you play, and why does it have such a weird connotation attached to it. Let me answer the first question with my own definition:
DnD is a simple role playing game where friends get together to journey in a made up fantasy situation.
Now as for why people think it's so weird, I believe that's up to you. I encourage everyone who gives it a shot before dismissing it as a “nerdy” pass-time.
Will Buyers playing DnD season 3
How to Play
Dungeons and Dragons can be whatever you want it to be, whether that's creating characters on napkins at McDonalds or sitting down at a hand-made table made for DnD.
If you want to give DnD a try I would first go back and watch Stranger Things to get into the fantasy world, then find a group of friends (at least 3) who would also want to play.
From there, create a character and a world for that character and you are good to go. If you are not sure where to get started, read this article:
Stranger Things Changed DnD Forever
Whether it was the demogorgon, mindflayer, or vecna, something about watching Stranger Things struck a chord with the inner “nerd” of everyone watching.
This show has forever changed the game, I believe that as the world is introduced to fantasy in cool new ways, we will see more and more people accept hobbies that were once shamed.
We’ve seen this in video games, comic-books, and now DnD. I am excited to see how society shifts from the “mainstreamification” of once unpopular hobbies.
I also believe that by the end of the upcoming season 5 do Stranger Things, DnD will be a game no longer associated with basement-living “geeks” but with close friends needing an escape from reality.
Stranger Things season 1 celebrating while playing DnD
