When you hear the word “nerd,” what do you picture? A dorky guy in a plaid shirt and glasses probably comes to mind if you’re like me. These pasty white boys have been the face of nerdom since the 1970s, and thus all the hobbies associated with being socially awkward came with it: being good at school, playing video games, and perhaps what some would consider the nerdiest habit of them all: Dungeons and Dragons.
Dubbed “the world’s greatest roleplaying game” by the guys who own it, Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), is a game where you roll some dice, make a fantasy character, roll some more dice, kill monsters, make friends, get treasure, cry when your characters die, save the world, and yes, of course, roll some dice. Created in 1974 by a guy named Gary Gygax, it began as a tabletop game with fantasy elements where players could control a single character instead of an army. Incredibly open-ended, the game lends itself to ingenuity: players who like acting could roleplay with their friends, players who want to kill monsters could build characters designed to do so, and if you’re a nerd there are tons of statistics you can get involved in if you want. What was once a simple game began to get updates and addons until it had its own all-encompassing world!
With such a diverse way of storytelling and playing the game, many people are surprised when there don’t seem to be a lot of women in the D&D scene: when people go to gaming stores it seems like there are only male customers, all the old famous D&D campaigns are run by male DMs (aka Dungeon Master, the one who creates the world and story the players participate in), and there is even a trope of the “token female character” in a party: an overtly sexual and/or feminine character played by—you guessed it—a male player.
Why are female players so hard to find? Is it simply the rampant misogyny of nerd culture? Do women just not participate in things like D&D enough?
The sad fact of the matter is, the misogyny of nerd culture, especially in D&D circles, has caused women to become (rightfully!) aversive to the hobby. However, women have been involved in D&D since the 70s, creating their own safe circles to play in. And they don’t plan on going away. With the advent of a new form of D&D entertainment, podcasts such as “Girls, Guts, Glory,” and “Venture Maidens” give younger girls female DMs and players to look up to. More girls are getting involved in the hobby than ever before, creating femme-dominated tables and bringing new concepts to the table that revolutionize this forty-eight-year-old game. Women have been bringing boundaries to D&D, a concept of setting a certain thing that the players and the DM absolutely do not want in their game. This allows for a fun and safe time for everyone by keeping the fantasy game fantasy and placing an emphasis on escapism. I’ve seen various ways to do it (a stoplight system, Post-it Notes, and the like). And they’ve all been created by women or femme-aligned people! And that is just scratching the surface of what women have brought to D&D. There are more women in the hobby than ever, but they’ve been here since the beginning and are not going away.
From its inception, D&D has been an expansive game that has allowed for creativity, escapism, and friendship. Women and femmes have brought a lot to the table (ha, ha), pushing for a safer, more inclusive community, creative players and campaigns, and life-long lasting friendships born from D&D and other Table-top Roleplaying Games (TTRPG). I have my own bunch of gals that I DM for, and it’s honestly my favorite part of my week. If you’re interested in the hobby: find a few friends, watch a few videos, and get involved.
