In only a few months, Elkhart High School’s Dungeons and Dragons club went from a small gathering of players, into a thriving community of nearly 80 students. The growth proves that when creativity and camaraderie come together, the possibilities are endless! This huge increase in interest raises a question or two about what happened in the D&D club and how it managed to ascend to the top of the club food chain.
The current game of Dungeons and Dragons, now over 50 years old, was first published in 1974. Starting off as a niche fringe hobby, it later evolved into a massive pop culture force. It spawned multiple movies of the same name, references to shows like Stranger Things, and a lot of spoofs. It’s undeniably a powerhouse of modern culture; so, in that sense, the popularity of the club makes sense.
Typically, a game of Dungeons and Dragons is made up of players and a Dungeon Master (or DM, as it’s often abbreviated). To get a better idea, Junior Reginald Rans explains: “A Dungeon Master is basically the god of the world and, as such, chooses what the party fights and how the story goes.” The number of players doesn’t necessarily matter; it can be as many or as little as the DM pleases.
The Dungeon Master decides upon and crafts the details of the campaign. However, the game isn’t even limited to just the knights and dragons that one might expect in a stereotypical game. Rans shares what his group is in the midst of: “We are doing a campaign based on the TV show Dragon Ball, so I have to create the villains of the show as D&D monsters for my campaign of four.”
So, what draws students to Dungeons and Dragons? According to the club founder and art teacher Mr. Arthur Hughes, the real magic began when he was introduced to the game as a child. “I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons since I was 10, when I started with a Minecraft Dungeons and Dragons campaign.” Hughes recalls, “I started the club because I wanted to play Dungeons and Dragons. There happened to be some 25 kids that also wanted to play–and that’s how it started!”
At its heart, the D&D club offers so much more than the actual gameplay; it’s a place for letting one’s imagination run wild while having a good time with friends. As junior Ryan Hardesty puts it, “What better reason is there to play a game? You can craft your own story–whatever you really want it to be–so if you don’t enjoy it, that’s on you!”
With a game entirely shaped by the creativity of the players, it’s no wonder the club is thriving. In light of its meteoric rise, the D&D club could soon welcome even more gamers, making it the largest club in the entire school. In a world where shared creativity reigns supreme, the possibilities are endless.
