Shall we play a game?

In which my co-author and I entice chat GPT to play Dungeons & Dragons. 

Here's what we wrote for Wired Magazine.

My TEDx talk now a podcast

It lives (again)! My TEDx talk "Why Dungeons and Dragons is good for yo‪u‬" has been turned into a TEDx SHORTS audio podcast on all your favorite platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, Stitcher, Castbox, iHeartRadio). Here's the Apple Podcasts link. Enjoy!

Best games against social isolation

I was asked by the Boston Globe to recommend my favorite games --- board and card games, charades-type games, and role-playing games --- to play in person with your quarantine crew or online via video conference. In the story, I recommend Cards against Humanity, Dungeons & Dragons, and Pandemic.

Here are some of my picks that didn't make it into the story:

Dungeon Mayhem: fantasy-based card battle game, family-friendly, multi-player

Pass the Pigs: "dice" game -- like Yahtzee but with pigs, family-friendly, multi-player

"In the manner of": charades-type game, family-friendly, gets you up and moving

Here's the full story.

Some teenagers play football ... others slay dragons.

Some teenagers play football ... others slay dragons. Morified meets Dungeons & Dragons in this new podcast. Take a listen! [I come on at about the 15 min. mark]

http://getmortified.com/episode/179-dungeons-dragons-and-totally-awkward-diaries/

Me, the New York Times and D&D

I wrote this feature story for the New York Times Books section "In a Chaotic World, Dungeons & Dragons Is Resurgent: The role-playing game has made a surprising return to mainstream culture." (published online Nov. 13, 2019; on print Nov. 15). 

Quiz: Trump Administration Dismissal/Resignation or Monster Defeated in My Last D&D Campaign

 

1. Kirstjen Nielsen

2. Demogorgon

3. Manafort

4. Manticore

5. Shulkin

6. Reince Priebus

7. Gibbering Mouther

8. Gorka

9. Owlbear

10. Omaroso

11. Zinke

12. Mimic

13. Mattis

14. Githyanki

15. Scaramucci

16. Tarrasque

17. Slaad

18. Fleitz

19. Rex Tillerson

20. Displacer Beast

[Answers: Trump Dismissal/Resignation: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 18, 19; D&D Monster: 2, 4, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 17, 20]

© Ethan Gilsdorf

I wrote about Dungeons & Dragons for the Ted Ideas site

Over at ted.ideas.com website, I wrote "How playing Dungeons & Dragons has helped me be more connected, creative and compassionate" --- in it, I talk about how agency, power, and the imagination can come from fantasy role-playing games. 

Why D&D is good for you: the podcast

The folks at Wizards of the Coast, aka D&D headquarters, kindly invited me to be on their Dragon Talk podcats to pax poetic about D&D and why it's so good for you. Hope you enjoy. You can also grab it on iTunes here.

I gave a TedX talk "Why Dungeons & Dragons is Good for You (In Real Life)"

I gave a TedX talk entitled "Why Dungeons & Dragons is Good for You (In Real Life)."

I'm pretty happy with how it came out and I think the positive message about D&D is important to spread. So I'd truly love your help in getting the word out. The more views it gets, and social media likes/retweets/shares it gets, the better chance it has of being featured on the Ted site, which would help prove to the world the game's amazing impact on people's lives. Thanks for watching and helping to spread the word.

NY Times doc features my 1981 D&D gang

This The New York Times documentary about D&D and the "Satanic Panic" features two tiny clips from a Super 8 movie I filmed of my old D&D group back in 1981. You'll see us at minute 00:20 and at minute 08:25. Yes, we were (as their expert says over a clip of my old gang rolling dice and goofing off) “the kind of kids and young people who didn’t go to dances or date on the weekends." But we rocked it. Also featuring npted writers Junot Díaz and Cory Doctorow, talking about how D&D was instrumental to their careers, former D&D editor Tim Kask, and private investigator William Dear, who investigated the famous disappearance of James Dallas Egbert III, supposedly caused by D&D.

Join me for this on Monday night

200 People Singing Happy 40th Birthday Dungeons & Dragons

D&D turned 40 this year. To honor that, at PAX East 2014 (in Boston), I was part of a panel called "Why D&D Is Still Awesome: A 40th Anniversary Dungeons & Dragons Tribute."

But that didn't seem enough. I tried (and failed) to make a giant 40-sided die birthday cake. Instead, I lead the 200+ person crowd in a rousing "Happy Birthday to Dungeons & Dragons" singalong.

With David Ewalt, author of Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and The People Who Play It and and Jon Peterson, author of Playing at the World: A History of Simulating Wars, People and Fantastic Adventures, from Chess to Role-Playing Games.

How Dungeons & Dragons and Fantasy Prepare You for Law & Life

How is a lawyer like a wizard? How does a courtroom resemble an epic battle? How is a casebook like the Dungeon Master's Guide?

In case you missed it, here's the archived video my Harvard University Berkman Center for Internet & Society talk with Jonathan Zittrain "How Dungeons & Dragons and Fantasy Prepare You for Law & Life."

http://www.minds.com/blog/view/291277647059619840/ethan-gilsdorf-and-jonathan-zittrain-on-how-dungeons-and-dragons-and-fantasy-prepare-you-for-law-and-life

D&D Celebration at Pax East

I am very excited to present the panel "Why D&D Is Still Awesome: A 40th Anniversary Dungeons & Dragons Tribute" at Pax East in Boston with David Ewalt and Jon Peterson on Sat April 12.

Here's the official description:

Why D&D Is Still Awesome: A 40th Anniversary Dungeons & Dragons Tribute

In 1974, D&D first appeared on the market. Now, 40 years later, we can see how this revolutionary game caused shock waves in the worlds of pop culture, gaming and play, and influenced how we spend our leisure time and socialize in profound ways. This panel features three of country’s leading experts on D&D, its history and cultural impact: David Ewalt, author of “Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and The People Who Play It”; Ethan Gilsdorf, author of “Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms”; and Jon Peterson, author of “Playing at the World: A History of Simulating Wars, People and Fantastic Adventures, from Chess to Role-Playing Games.” We’ll talk about D&D’s incredible social impact, tell a little history of the game, show slides (OK, nostalgia bait) of its major editions and other historical goodies, discuss why D&D still matters, and maybe give away some free stuff. Followed by a rousing Q&A where you the audience can geek out about how D&D changed your life—- hopefully for good, and not, you know, for Satan. Followed by a book signing with the three authors.

Hope to see you there.

As Dungeons & Dragons Turns 40, Celebrating Its Ability To Unleash Unbridled Creativity

Post by WBUR 90.9 FM.

D&D on the BBC

My D&D world tour continues in the UK. I was fortunate to be interviewed by the BBC's Radio 5 "Up All Night" host Adam Rosser with authors Mark Barrowcliffe (The Elfish Gene) and Jim Swallow (author of numerous Star Trek, Doctor Who books). Included in this retrospective about D&D and its 40th birthday, there's also a segment with Ian Livingstone (co-founder of Games Workshop). You can listen to the archived Feb 5 show here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03szml0. Click the big arrow and bump the episode up to around the 02:13:15 mark, which is where the D&D segment begins. (I think this link will be up for a little while. Let me know if the link is dead and I'll try to find the archived show elsewhere.)

Five Amazing TV Moments from D&D History

 

From Gary Gygax defending D&D on 60 Minutes, to Tom Hanks in the TV movie Mazes and Monsters, to the famous Freaks and Geeks “Discos and Dragons” episode featuring James Franco as the bad-boy who plays D&D with the A/V nerds ... here's a look back at Five Amazing TV Moments from D&D History. In these clips, we see the how the famous game has been portrayed, from being ridiculed and used as a scapegoat to being celebrated. You can read the rest of my post on GeekDad.

At 40 Years Old, Dungeons & Dragons Still Matters

Tired of all this press about D&D? I hope not. The hits just keep coming as I milk this anniversary for all it's worth. Here's another piece I did tying into the big 4-0 -- for BoingBoing, called "At 40 Years Old, Dungeons & Dragons Still Matters." Enjoy!

D&D 40th anniversary: Media doubleshot!

D&D 40th anniversary media week continues! I appeared on WGBH this week for a segment titled "At 40, What D&D Has Really Created" --- in which I geek out with Emily Rooney on WGBH WGBH News Greater Boston.

Also, I taught WGBH Boston Public Radio hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan how to play D&D, among other things.

D&D Essay hits 18K Likes, a top read on Salon

I'm not one to blow my own horn *too* loudly, but I'm pretty excited that my essay "All I needed to know about life I learned from “Dungeons & Dragons" that appeared on Salon.com last week, has now topped 18,000 likes on Facebook, as well as making the "Top Reads" section of Salon. I'm really pleased for all the support it's gotten, and for all the kind referrals and favoriting and retweeting it's received in its short life. D&D "officially' turns 40 on Jan 26, so consider this a swell b-day gift for D&D. 

UPDATE: it broke 20K!