Dungeons & Dragons, a Community for College Students

By JIM RASBERRY/Staff Writer

The popularity of tabletop roleplaying games (“TTRPG”), such as Dungeons & Dragons, is on the rise.
With over 50 million players recorded worldwide, which is furthered by Twitch streams and live play games such as “Critical Role,” D&D draws in new players who are eager to play. As a new college semester starts, many are on the lookout for ways to spend their free time and socialize. Dungeons & Dragons is often students’ game of choice.

Simply getting started in Dungeons & Dragons can be a difficult task, as there can be issues finding groups, materials or even a location to learn and play the game. In Tyler, however, potential players can find their solution in local businesses such as Geek World or Boards and Bites.

Both of these businesses are located in Green Acres Shopping Village, which is only a short drive from both The University of Texas at Tyler and Tyler Junior College. They provide not only the space and materials to play Dungeons & Dragons, but also a wide array of other tabletop roleplaying games or board games.

“The current version of Dungeons & Dragons, fifth edition, [is] very simple to learn and is very approachable,” said Lance Lewis, a clerk at Geek World and the head of its Dungeons & Dragons classes and RPG Day. “There’s a thousand people that want to learn, so I just make it super approachable.”

Large television shows like “Critical Role” lead players to believe that a lot is needed in order to start. However, the materials needed to actually start playing D&D are few.

“You need extraordinarily little, and I actually try and advise my players to start very simply. I started my group with one set of dice shared between us, which was about $10, one player handbook shared between us, which was about $40 or $50, and scratch paper,” said Lewis.

After these are acquired, all that is left to be found is someone to help teach the game and a place to play. Lance at Geek World and others in the local community are happy to assist. Events such as Geek World’s RPG Day brings in new and experienced players together to learn the game, share in their mutual hobby and welcome others into the community.

“One thing we strive to do, make the barrier for entry as low as possible,” said Matthew Gayetsky, manager of Boards and Bites and formerly the director of debate at UT Tyler.

Gayetsky chose to start getting into tabletop roleplaying games after he watched debaters come out of their shells when they played games. In his experience, it helped social interaction.

“We notice these sorts of interactions generally when there is some medium that exists that allows people to be people alongside one another. You and I don’t have to have an in-depth conversation about something that matters to us,” Gayetsky said. “There is some tangible intermediary, like the rules for a board game, that can allow people to be better people with one another.”

This “gamified education” made the creation of Boards and Bites the next step for Gayetsky, who wanted people to make those connections. As TTRPG popularity rises, what started as groups of five or 10 people has grown into a larger Dungeons & Dragons community.