Dungeons & Dragons has been around since 1974, when Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson published the first rule set – one that sparked the dawn of almost all other tabletop role-playing games – from a basement in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. By the end of the 1980s, tens of millions of players worldwide were plundering dungeons and slaying dragons, and despite social stigma (and a pretty intense political movement) during the 70s and 80s, D&D remained one of the most popular games in all of geekdom.
Now, more than 45 years after the birth of the game, D&D has more players than ever. But why has this traditionally stigmatized game become so incredibly successful? We asked some of the biggest names in the world of Dungeons & Dragons what they think makes D&D a critical hit.
Source: IGN.com D&DD's Celebrity Players Explain Its Recent Surge in Popularity