Baldur’s Gate 3 is the latest, and perhaps greatest, attempt to bring the Dungeons & Dragons game to the video game world. At the same time, it’s a new chapter in a long legacy that surrounds the interplay between the original tabletop RPG and the video gaming hobby. It’s a strange truth that, even as a video game, Baldur’s Gate 3 has emerged as one of the most potent arguments in years for trying out the actual D&D game at a table.
When I was a kid growing up in the ‘80s, playing D&D was not something you would readily admit to. Beyond the open ridicule you might face from your peers, it had a genuine chance to get you barred from some of your friends’ homes. No joke. More than a few parents back then truly believed that D&D was tantamount to actual demon worship, and they wouldn’t want their kids to have anything to do with you if you played. It was a serious hobby.
It was worth the trouble for those who played. Over numerous editions, different fantasy worlds, publisher changes, and various creative voices behind the game, D&D has always remained a hobby with enormous potential for creativity, deepening of friendships, emergent storytelling, and…
