Dhruin
SasqWatch
This isn't actually computer/video-game related but I thought some readers might enjoy How Dungeons & Dragons Changed My Life at Salon:
More information.Every Friday night, from my eighth grade to my senior year in high school, I fell into a realm of wizards' towers, battle axes melees and exploding fireballs. This was an age before 21st century diversions -- no Internet, e-mail, cell phones or social networking -- and Dungeons & Dragons was my total escape. When I wasn't sleeping or in class, I'd draw maps of my Middle-earth-like lands, plan the exploits of my characters and scheme elaborate back stories of my world. From 1979 to 1984, I was under D&D's spell.
But wanting to be a cooler, beer-drinking, girl-bedding kind of guy, I stopped playing D&D when I went to college. There was shame in them thar imaginary hills. So I shelved that yearning for fantasy heroics, which looked so weak and antisocial. I told myself, You don't need D&D anymore.
Boy, was I wrong.