I have heard this from past players, that D&D is just a game, or is only a game. Okay, so are we talking a game like Monopoly? Is D&D on the same level as the Parker Brothers classic? While I am sure that some people get excited about playing Monopoly every Friday night, I wonder if the average D&D player would. People playing Monopoly get excited when they roll the perfect number, and the opposite, can get angry when they land on your hotel properties and have to pay. Is it those feelings that make Monopoly and D&D similar, as in, just a game? Is it the social involvement that makes something only a game?
Both games can be very involving. Paying and receiving cash, and especially dealing for properties, are huge in Monopoly, and distinctly social. A lot of that can go on in D&D as well. So if we accept that Monopoly is only a game, and it shares many important aspects with D&D, then is D&D only a game?
A game is described by Google as, "a form of play or sport, especially a competitive one played according to rules and decided by skill, strength, or luck." So a game doesn't have to be competitive, but it has rules and is "decided by" a series of things. So, sounds like D&D is just a game.
What is missing here is the focus on the word game versus the focus on the words "only" or "just." "It's a game" is a very different sentence than "It's only a game." Interestingly, "It's the greatest game" is only emphasized when changed to "It's only the greatest game." But I digress. I suggest that if D&D is "only a game" to you, then you are playing it wrong. Now, to unpack why...
