Recently, I have really gotten into D&D, I don’t know why I’m really starting to have this passion for rolling d20s, but I do know that it’s in no small part to the literal glut of online media that revolves around D&D.
Now to the uninitiated, D&D, or “Dungeons and Dragons”, is “Tabletop Role Playing Game” (TRPG). It was a game developed in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, it is now being published by the game company Wizards of the Coast (the same company that brings you Magic: The Gathering). Since it’s introduction in 1974 it has become somewhat of a pop-culture icon, and has literally taken a life of its own. Becoming synonymous with geek culture all throughout the world. The image of D&D has definitely changed throughotu the years. From the “dudes in a basement”, it has evolved to also bring us the image of the amazing freedom one can only have from one’s own imagination.
This change in D&D’s mainstream image is in no small part to the various content creators that are putting up D&D real-play content (content of people actually playing D&D, not just talking about it). I’m talking about shows like Geek and Sundry’s Critical Role, PAX’s Acquisitions Inc. Geekly Inc’s Drunks and Dragons, and event NODE’s Call of the Wild.
Now what’s interesting isn’t so much the effect these shows are having on the mainstream perception of D&D, but more on the fact that this content even exists in the first place, let alone appeal to a massive mainstream audience. Take the example of Critical Role, if someone were to pitch to a massive media company the idea of a weekly live show of “9 guys playing D&D for FOUR HOURS”, I’m pretty sure that guy would be laughed out of the room. But Critical Role, which is literally “9 guys playing D&D for four hours” is arguably the most popular segment on Geek and Sundry’s weekly Twitch channel lineup.
If it were any other time than now, no one would even think to try to experiment with something like that. But this is the 21st century, this is the age of the internet, where barrier to entry is low and weird things abound. And it’s not just that it’s easier to post things online, the internet is also where an increasing number of eyeballs are going to for their form of entertainment. A recent report has found that young people aged 18–24 are actually decreasing their traditional TV consumption, and moving to watching videos online. That’s in line with other reports that suggest that more people are increasing the amount of time that they spend online. And why shouldn’t they? With services like YouTube, Twitch, Periscope, Netflix and HBO GO, the amount of choice that people have for content online is growing. It has grown to such an extent that Netflix alone accounts for nearly a third of all internet traffic (although that’s not that surprising considering the length and file size of their videos). But still, it doesn’t take a genius to see that internet services are growing increasingly mainstream. Look no further than the popularity of term “Netflix and Chill” (as much as Netflix hates that term). With the continuing growth of internet channels to deliver content, the content will just keep coming, and it’ll keep getting weirder and more interesting as people experiment with different ideas on what content to deliver.
This month, it may be 4 hour long D&D sessions every week, next month, it may be 3 hour long videos of people eating… oh wait, we’re already there, well you get what I mean!
What I’m saying is that we are approaching the age of a online video renaissance. Where visionaries like Pewdiepie, Felicia Day, and Smosh are bringing us new forms of entertainment that push the boundaries. I can only imagine what people must have thought when the first sitcoms were introduced to televisions all over the world so many years ago. They must have thought they were crazy, recording a whole show in front of a live audience? Ha!
What’s going to be interesting to see is how the large media companies are going to keep up. For now, with popular shows like Arrow, the Flash, Agents of SHIELD, and their ilk, it seems that they are poised to still stay strong. But with the introduction of shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones, which are only going to be brought via Netflix, will they try and change their distribution strategy? We have already seen the likes of HBO try that route, with some degree of success. But it will definitely be interesting to see where media will be going in the future. We don’t think about it so much, but media and entertainment are so fundamentally ingrained in our lives that any changes to it seem like such major shocks, the television for decades has literally been called the “center of the living room”, but that center is now shifting, it’s becoming more decentralized, from the screens of our TVs, we are now moving to the screens of our tablets and smartphones.
