Vox: What the new D&D movie gets – and misses – about the game
Two faculty from UC School of Communication, Film, and Media Studies weigh in on new movie
The board game Dungeon & Dragons has a nerdy reputation, bolstered by its appearance in the Netflix series: "Stranger Things." However, a new movie, “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”, provides entertainment, with a diverse cast, meant for the masses.
According to Vox, what the film captures is the chaos and ridiculousness you’d find in an actual D&D game. This means lots of moments that feel like someone got either a bad roll of the dice — resulting in unexpected misfortunes or failures — or a good one, where some highly unlikely scenario works out in the characters’ favor. Also, the article states, to give each of the titular band of thieves their own character arc is a bit of an outlier for the usual Hollywood ensemble piece, which more often focuses on one or two main characters. There’s a complexity in these relationships and motivations that the average moviegoer might not be expecting in a big action-fantasy film.
Kat Jones, game designer and game design professor at the University of Cincinnati, tells Vox that she thinks that’s what the movie succeeds on: “Each of them had their own thing that they needed to overcome in order to be their best self. When it’s done right, role-playing games can really home in on that.”
The Vox article explains that’s what makes role playing games so unique. Says the Vox author: “You can take these emotional journeys as a different person, navigating what your own priorities are and how you relate to the world. Ideally, you take a journey that pushes you into being better somehow; a better person, a better teammate, a better parent, a better friend.
“Most of the creators I know in the scene just love the hell out of this movie because they finally see, okay, someone who really likes the material and isn’t just riffing on it for their own purposes but really doing something,” says Evan Torner, a professor of film studies at the University of Cincinnati and the director of the school’s Game Lab. “We understand that film has its own language, but this is a film that uses that language to remind us that we’re all kind of kids with stupid plans.”
Featured image at top of Dungeons and Dragons game card. Photo/Erik McClean/Unsplash
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
History Department Lecture
January 9, 2002
Lecture by Allan W. Winkler, Miami University, Oxford on "Urban America in World War II: Cincinnati as an example" at the Cincinnati Museum Center at 7:30pm.
UC Research Ranking Climbs
January 10, 2002
The University of Cincinnati moved up in two different national rankings established by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to compare college and university research efforts.
History Department Lecture
January 17, 2002
Lecture by Leslie Adelson, Cornell University, will deliver a Taft lecture titled "Back to the Future and Beyond 'Two Worlds':Turkish Lines of Thought in Contemporary German Literature and Memory Work" at 3:00pm in the Max Kade German Cultural Center in Old Chemistry.
New Appointments in McMicken Administration
January 21, 2002
The college is very pleased to announce two new appointments.
Sign Up for the Discovering A&S Elective
January 24, 2002
Parent's Asking, "What does someone do with THAT major?" Don't know all your options? Sign up for a 2 credit hour elective where you can meet A&S faculty, emeriti faculty, as well as, alumni.
Three of Four UC Fulbrights Scholars from McMicken
January 28, 2002
Tainted water supplies in Bangladesh, international security and missile defense, transformations in Mexico and greater understanding of India - this varied list sums up the work of four Fulbright Scholars at the University of Cincinnati who are concentrating on real-life issues involving our neighbors around the world.
Prominent Line-Up Examines Race in 2002 Ropes Series
January 31, 2002
The issue of race will receive one of the most intensive examinations undertaken in Cincinnati since the April riots when the University of Cincinnati Department of English launches its Ropes series in January and February 2002.
Nominate a Distinguished Alumni
January 31, 2002
The Purpose of the Distinguished Alumni Awards is to recognize graduates of the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences for outstanding achievements.
UC Physicists Play Important Role in Experiments That Provided New Understanding of Neutrinos
January 31, 2002
Three physicists at the University of Cincinnati played a key role in recent experiments which provided a surprising new understanding of a tiny subatomic particle known as the neutrino.
Angelene Jamison-Hall: Publishing Award
February 13, 2002
An unpublished novel by Angelene Jamison-Hall won first place in the new writing contest sponsored by River View Publishing in Riverside, Iowa.