By Melanie Varela
January 2, 2017 Among the many new clubs in our school, the Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) club has definitely grabbed the attention of some students. Dungeons and Dragons is a fantasy role play board game, originally designed in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. It derived from miniature wargames. D&D's release is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry. D&D grew in popularity through the late 1970s and 1980s, and has since been a part of what many call the “geekdom”. Recently, it has gained some attention because of its references in the Netflix series “Stranger Things”. I took the time to interview the Dungeons and Dragons club founder Nathan Badin, class of 2021, about his club. Many may wonder what purpose the club has as a part of the WPHS community, and Nathan was kind enough to communicate his ideas and his hopes for the future of the club. M: “What made you want to start this club?” N: “I started this club because I had friends who wanted to play the game but had no where to play. D&D to me is a club that gives a new look at a game that is special to me and will help you [students at WPHS] make new friends.” M: “What do you have planned for this club in the future?” N: “I plant to grow the club to a bigger scale… it will help me give a place for people to learn a new game that is a lot of fun” M: “When did you come across D&D and how has it impacted you personally?” N: I came across it a little over a year ago and it has grown my social life to a new and better place” This new placement of the game in our schools environment seems to be a step towards adding more diverse clubs to our school body. Personally, I am glad that Nathan saw something bigger in his eyes for the game after trying to push for time during Science Fiction Club (which meets on Tuesdays during lunch in Room B121). If you would like to join D&D group or check what it is all in person, the club meets after school on Thursdays in the Media Center.
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