Dungeons and Dragons is a fantasy-based role-playing game that includes a tabletop board and a D20 (20-sided) set of dice. The game was created in 1974 by Gary Gygax and David Arneson, and gained popularity in the late 70s through the 80s. Dungeons and Dragons, also referred to as D&D, is a campaign-based game, simply meaning that the storyline of the game contains the same characters. The game was acquired by Hasboro in the late 90s and became the staple in pop culture that it is today.
Stranger Things creators, The Duffer Brothers, have never been shy about the hit series’ link to the beloved game. In fact, the show opened with the group playing the game and even modeled their understanding of The Upside Down and its creatures in terms of D&D. However, season four of the series, which broke the record for opening weekend viewership, focuses heavily on the criticism that Dungeons and Dragons faced in the wake of the once-brewing Satanic Panic of the 80s, as outlined by The Gamer, which deemed the game to be a cult following.
The First Campaign
It is not entirely clear when or who played the very first game of Dungeons and Dragons, but it is known that it all started with the partnership of Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. According to Nerdist, the original publication of D&D was called "Chainmail" and was created by Gygax and a man named Jeff Perren. When Arneson got his hands on the book, he turned the narrative from a medieval combat game to a setting similar to that of Lord of the Rings. "Chainmail" went from being about knights and battles, to magical spells and monsters of lore. After comparing notes, Gygax and Arneson combined their ideas and thus entitled their world Dungeons and Dragons.
Gygax, and his company TSR would go on to earn millions of dollars all thanks to the success of D&D. The game's popularity continued to grow over the decades to come, despite accusations such as cultism and Devil worship. The game became so popular that it cemented itself into pop culture as we know it today. In 2000, a major motion picture came out entitled Dungeons and Dragons, bringing to life a fantasy campaign on the big screen. Paramount is also set to reboot the franchise with a new installment set to release in March 2023. However, it wasn't until 2016, when Netflix's hit series Stranger Things premiered, that D&D saw a resurgence in mainstream popularity. The gang is seen throughout the series participating in campaigns, and even goes as far as to show Will Byers, played by Noah Schnapp, in his alter ego Will the Wise's attire.
Connections to The Upside Down
The Duffer Brothers are not silent Stephen King fans, and are outspoken when it comes to their love for 80s horror. Stranger Things' roots bury deep within the base of a King novel, however, the show overall is tied heavily to its reliance on Dungeons and Dragons knowledge.
Season one introduced The Upside Down, which is where all the evil lives beneath Hawkins. To understand this alternate dimension that is much like their own, only darker, the gang views The Upside Down as if the rules were the same as Dungeons and Dragons. The monsters that reside in The Upside Down are given names based on actual D&D characters that the monster resembles.
Season four's latest big bad, Vecna, was heavily inspired by Robert Englund's Freddy Krueger. However, Vecna shares a lot of connections to D&D's actual sorcerer. The Duffer Brothers have mentioned that they wanted this season's monster to be different from any of the others — and different is exactly what they served viewers. Vecna is known in the D&D world as being one of the most powerful villains in the game, and thus far, he seems to be one of The Upside Down's most powerful residents as well. Yet, Vecna isn't the only monsters with strong roots in D&D. One of the most frequent recurring monsters, the Demogorgon, is just as much of a staple in Dungeons and Dragons as he is in Stranger Things.
Satanic Panic
D&D was born at a dining room table and would ironically go on to be played in dining rooms and basements throughout the United States. As the game's popularity grew substantially, so did the conspiracy that followed. Satanic Panic emerged in the 1980s, and was known as the fear of ritualistic behavior and the growing of cultism. One of the contributing factors was a book written by Michelle Smith and Lawrence Pazder entitled Michelle Remembers, which recounts child abuse and Satanic rituals. Although the book is now debunked, it is partly responsible for the spread of Satanic Panic, which would grow from an isolated United States ideology to a worldwide phenomenon.
Stranger Things 4's opening episode features newcomer to the show, Eddie Munson, played by Joseph Quinn, reading from a newspaper that states Dungeons and Dragons is a form of Satanism. Eddie, the leader of the school's Hell Fire Club, finds himself being pinned for murder after is classmate is killed by Vecna in his home. Yet, the newspaper article isn't just to secure plot. D&D was and still is highly scrutinized, and accused of having links to Satanism, witchcraft, and ritualistic murders. This is one of the reasons that makes the introduction to this season's hero hungry jock, Jason Carver, that much better. Jason, played by Mason Dye, rallies the town to hunt down Eddie after watching his friend Patrick get possed in the lake. Jason blames the Hell Fire Club and serves as the voice for the true fear and blame that Dungeons and Dragons faced in the 80s.