What are the Influences of D&D on Video Games

As we observe advancements in the tech and gadget worlds, our interest in gaming tends to be growing at a similar pace. There’s no doubt that today’s gaming experience is like no other before, and it keeps getting better. However, there’s one thing that game developers have in common with some of today’s film producers and studios. They are fond of borrowing ideas from the past, making them incredibly stunning by introducing a modern twist.

For lovers of Game of Thrones, the recently finalized epic series, the story was inspired by George RR martin’s book, A Game of Thrones. Similarly, many RPGs are developed from or inspired by actors from past books, comics, films, and table games. Just to level the playing field, many games have also inspired the creation of movies, including Hitman, Tomb Raider, Assassin’s Creed, and Resident Evil, just to name a few. But how exactly has D&D influenced video games as we know them today?

Below, we’ll familiarize a bit with D&D as we delve into some of the influences Dungeons and Dragons has had on past and modern video games. 

What Is D&D?

Introduced in 1974, Dungeons & Dragons is one of those old school role-playing games that were played on the table. This fantasy wargame is commonly known as D&D and has remained in popularity since its creation by Gary Gygax. The original game involved a mix of storytelling, heroes, and battles with deadly enemies, rescue missions, and a lot more. As it is evident in most of today’s video games, the D&D story has remained alive in many forms and scenarios to date. Let’s now take a look at some pointers that reveal the influence D&D has had on today’s video games.

●     Fantasy Races

Video games are known to have so many “races,” and most of the top-ranking games invent their own races. For instance, a game like Fantasy solely relies on its classical D&D characters, such as dwarves, halflings, and elves. Fairies, angels, and demons are also not to be forgotten. It will not go unmentioned that D&D is what made a staple in the gaming world.

●     Character Classes

Race and character design is an important element in today’s video games. If you are an avid gamer, you know that many games allow you to customize your character. You can choose your race, style, and moral alignment. In addition to this, you can assign your character a unique profile or role depending on what you want them to achieve in the game.

Some common classes include wizard, ranger, barbarian, and rogue; and these were so much evident in the original DnD. In warlock 5e, the 5th edition of Warlock’s D&D various character classes can be seen. In addition to the warlock, we have a hooded strange-looking figure, an armored knight, and a child holding a pot. There are also otherworldly patrons, who possess some kind of powers and have servants at their command. As you can see, all these aspects are derivatives of the original D&D, and the customizability part is what makes these video games even more thrilling.

●     Adventuring Parties

The core element about dragons and dungeons is that it is cooperative, giving every team member a role to play. For instance, if you are three, each member will take up a position to coordinate an adventurous party. This coordination assists in the diversity of player options and it keeps the game interesting.

●     Open Worlds

With the evolution and growth of the gaming world, video games have been created in an open world. Meaning, the player does not have to go unlocking levels for them to get access to it. Players are free to move around without restrictions. In addition to this, the processing power is very high. Something the games that were created earlier did not get to enjoy. Today, the game design is straightforward, and players are allowed to go anywhere and do whatever they want on limited codes.

●     Character Design

It seems comfortable having your avatar on the player’s profile or having a player you can relate with easily. These are the important elements of today’s games when it comes to the characters, along with classes and races, which we tackled earlier. However, the game characters must be lifted directly from The Player’s Handbook. A D&D character is built to start by choosing a name, assigning abilities, and dividing skills.

●     Tavern

This is the fancy classic fantasy trope that was the central meeting point where all the characters get their quests. These taverns were where people used to assemble in the Late Medieval and Early Modern periods. And if you can remember history, the Iron Age inspired this as its central hub. But practically, D&D players know that in every game, all players meet at the tavern.

●     Traps

Games are all about panic, anxiety, and adrenaline. Nothing raises a gamer’s adrenaline like the traps in the game. A ball of fire, random arrows, exploding mines, lucky charms that burst out with power when touched, ancient runes, among others, are some of the features in a game that make it more interesting. Having gone through the above points, it is pretty apparent that you know where the traps originate from.

●     Side Quests

So much can be said when it comes to gaming, and side quests are part of the most exciting bit of many games. Their influence is on another level. The idea owes much greatness to the novels as it does to the D&D. Games like Spiderman, The Witcher 3, and Warlock are amazing choices to explore the world and level up.

Especially now that modern computers come with powerful graphics cards, strong processing units, giant RAMs, and incredible storage, exploring video games has become easier. Different games have different themes, missions, plots, and characters, but most of them have several things in common. One of these things is that they derive inspiration from the original D&D games.