Originally created in 1974 by visionary game designer Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game that allows players to create their own characters and go on imaginary adventures in a world of magic and monsters. The current iteration of Dungeons & Dragons, the 5th edition, was released in 2014, and is still played and enjoyed worldwide.

But what actually is Dungeons & Dragons? In the simplest terms, Dungeons & Dragons is playing imaginative games with structure and rules. The players take on the role of a group of adventurers, the Dungeon Master (that’s me!) describes the situation that the players find themselves in, and the players decide what they want to do. Playing D&D involves doing many things. Parts of the game involves acting: players create characters that they must act out the roles of, and interact with other characters portrayed by the Dungeon Master. Other parts of the game involve problem solving: players must solve clever puzzles and riddles in order to succeed. On top of these roleplaying aspects, Dungeons & Dragons is also a board game, where players roll dice and take turns fighting monsters.

All of these different parts of Dungeons & Dragons are united by the principle of teamwork. Despite having many different parts, at its core Dungeons & Dragons is a game where a group of people, each with different skill sets, must all come together to complete an epic quest. It encourages participants to come up with plans together, listen to one another, and make sure that everyone works together so the group can succeed.

In young people, D&D can be a useful tool for:

• Building confidence

• Encouraging teamwork

• Promoting creative thinking

• Practicing math

• Promoting interest in drama and literature