How Dungeons & Dragons and Fantasy Prepare You for Law & Life

How is a lawyer like a wizard? How does a courtroom resemble an epic battle? How is a casebook like the Dungeon Master's Guide?

In case you missed it, here's the archived video my Harvard University Berkman Center for Internet & Society talk with Jonathan Zittrain "How Dungeons & Dragons and Fantasy Prepare You for Law & Life."

http://www.minds.com/blog/view/291277647059619840/ethan-gilsdorf-and-jonathan-zittrain-on-how-dungeons-and-dragons-and-fantasy-prepare-you-for-law-and-life

Obscene income inequality is immoral

The current disparity between what executives make vs. rank-and-file employees is nothing short of immoral. But sadly the battle for improved pay equity across America’s workforce isn’t going to be won anytime soon.

In 2012, CEOs of S&P 500 companies made, on average, an astounding 354 times more than the average U.S. worker, according to the AFL-CIO. The ugly numbers continue. Of some 141 countries, the U.S. ranks fourth highest in “wealth inequality,” trailing only Russia, Ukraine and Lebanon.

But there is hope. Some companies — admittedly, a vast minority — do voluntarily cap their top executives’ salaries. For example, Whole Foods Market won’t pay its CEO more than 19 times the company’s average annual wage.

You can read the rest of my column for WBUR's Cognoscenti here.

Put Down The Camera, Pick Up The Fork

Remember when food was just something you ate? 

Food — you know that stuff you put in your mouth, chew and swallow to stay alive? — has officially jumped the shark.

I’m not exactly sure when it happened. Was it the molecular gastronomy craze of a few years ago, when chefs squirted popcorn and gumdrop foam over your duck breast, and suddenly preparing a meal became a science experiment?

Or was it the proliferation of celebrity cooking and food travel shows, wherein Anthony Bourdain and a crack team of Navy Seals went undercover in Bangkok to bring back a rare mangosteen, then kept it alive in captivity back in his New York City walk-in cooler. (Slight exaggeration, but not so far from the truth.)

I say, let’s ramp down this notion of food as fetish, food as porn, food as adventure, food as performance, and get back to basics: Food as food, as something we eat.

You can read the rest of my column for WBUR's Cognoscenti here.

D&D Celebration at Pax East

I am very excited to present the panel "Why D&D Is Still Awesome: A 40th Anniversary Dungeons & Dragons Tribute" at Pax East in Boston with David Ewalt and Jon Peterson on Sat April 12.

Here's the official description:

Why D&D Is Still Awesome: A 40th Anniversary Dungeons & Dragons Tribute

In 1974, D&D first appeared on the market. Now, 40 years later, we can see how this revolutionary game caused shock waves in the worlds of pop culture, gaming and play, and influenced how we spend our leisure time and socialize in profound ways. This panel features three of country’s leading experts on D&D, its history and cultural impact: David Ewalt, author of “Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and The People Who Play It”; Ethan Gilsdorf, author of “Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms”; and Jon Peterson, author of “Playing at the World: A History of Simulating Wars, People and Fantastic Adventures, from Chess to Role-Playing Games.” We’ll talk about D&D’s incredible social impact, tell a little history of the game, show slides (OK, nostalgia bait) of its major editions and other historical goodies, discuss why D&D still matters, and maybe give away some free stuff. Followed by a rousing Q&A where you the audience can geek out about how D&D changed your life—- hopefully for good, and not, you know, for Satan. Followed by a book signing with the three authors.

Hope to see you there.

As Dungeons & Dragons Turns 40, Celebrating Its Ability To Unleash Unbridled Creativity

Post by WBUR 90.9 FM.

A review of RoboCop 2014: Not as Good as RoboCop 1987

In which I watch RoboCop (2014) and remember RoboCop (1987), and conclude that while the remake isn't without its qualities, it has less to say than the original, and, worse, is not as funny. I also break down the history of our anxiety about robots and A.I., from Metropolis to The Terminator to Her. It's all over at BoingBoing.

Donna Karan, You're Our Only Hope: "Star Wars" Hits Fashion Week

PHOTO BY VICTOR VIRGILE/GAMMA-RAPHO VIA GETTY IMAGESTwiggy runway models wearing gowns encoded with the ultimate geek messaging? Has Star Wars fandom finally, inexorably jumped the shark tank? Perhaps.

As noted by our friends over at Fast Company Design, nerdy "Star Wars"-themed gowns --- emblazoned with images of Yoda, C-3PO, Death Star, Luke and Tatooine --- have hit the runaway over at New York's Fashion Week.

The fashion house Rodarte is responsible for producing these gowns for their Autumn/Winter 2014 collection. But ladies, don't expect to be able to wear these dresses at any upcoming ComicCon or Star Wars fan gathering.

"Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy, self-described sci-fi nerds, are pals of Star Wars director George Lucas, so the collection had his Jedi blessing," says the Fast Co. Design story. "The bad news is these gowns won’t be for sale--they’ll only be used in editorial shoots for fall and possibly in exhibits."

Me, I'm still holding out for an Arwen 'n' Aragorn fragrance from Calvin Klein.

PHOTO BY VICTOR VIRGILE/GAMMA-RAPHO VIA GETTY IMAGES

D&D on the BBC

My D&D world tour continues in the UK. I was fortunate to be interviewed by the BBC's Radio 5 "Up All Night" host Adam Rosser with authors Mark Barrowcliffe (The Elfish Gene) and Jim Swallow (author of numerous Star Trek, Doctor Who books). Included in this retrospective about D&D and its 40th birthday, there's also a segment with Ian Livingstone (co-founder of Games Workshop). You can listen to the archived Feb 5 show here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03szml0. Click the big arrow and bump the episode up to around the 02:13:15 mark, which is where the D&D segment begins. (I think this link will be up for a little while. Let me know if the link is dead and I'll try to find the archived show elsewhere.)

Looking For ‘Likes’ In All The Wrong Places

(image: AP)Does "like" = "love"? Feel a little beat up by social media sometimes? My essay about this topic, "Looking For ‘Likes’ In All The Wrong Places: On Social Media And Self-Worth," appeared on WBUR's Morning Edition, Mon Feb 4. Here's an excerpt, and you can listen to the piece I recorded below.

We all know the feeling.

We post something on Facebook, say our latest gastronomical experiment, or a scathing takedown of a celebrity making a fool of himself. Or, we let fly a clever tweet paired with a shrewd hashtag we’re certain is going to go viral.

Then, crickets. As in, no “likes,” no retweets, no nothing.

And how does all this make us feel? More insignificant than if we’d posted nothing at all.

That’s the power, and danger, of social media.

You can read the rest here. And listen below.

Five Amazing TV Moments from D&D History

 

From Gary Gygax defending D&D on 60 Minutes, to Tom Hanks in the TV movie Mazes and Monsters, to the famous Freaks and Geeks “Discos and Dragons” episode featuring James Franco as the bad-boy who plays D&D with the A/V nerds ... here's a look back at Five Amazing TV Moments from D&D History. In these clips, we see the how the famous game has been portrayed, from being ridiculed and used as a scapegoat to being celebrated. You can read the rest of my post on GeekDad.

At 40 Years Old, Dungeons & Dragons Still Matters

Tired of all this press about D&D? I hope not. The hits just keep coming as I milk this anniversary for all it's worth. Here's another piece I did tying into the big 4-0 -- for BoingBoing, called "At 40 Years Old, Dungeons & Dragons Still Matters." Enjoy!

D&D 40th anniversary: Media doubleshot!

D&D 40th anniversary media week continues! I appeared on WGBH this week for a segment titled "At 40, What D&D Has Really Created" --- in which I geek out with Emily Rooney on WGBH WGBH News Greater Boston.

Also, I taught WGBH Boston Public Radio hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan how to play D&D, among other things.

D&D Essay hits 18K Likes, a top read on Salon

I'm not one to blow my own horn *too* loudly, but I'm pretty excited that my essay "All I needed to know about life I learned from “Dungeons & Dragons" that appeared on Salon.com last week, has now topped 18,000 likes on Facebook, as well as making the "Top Reads" section of Salon. I'm really pleased for all the support it's gotten, and for all the kind referrals and favoriting and retweeting it's received in its short life. D&D "officially' turns 40 on Jan 26, so consider this a swell b-day gift for D&D. 

UPDATE: it broke 20K!

Book Picks on WGBH

Um, how terrifying is TV? Not so bad, once you're on camera. And the time just flies.

I'm late to posting this, but I appeared before Xmas on WGBH's Greater Boston program with Andre Dubus (House of Sand and Fog) and Marianne Leone (Jesse, a Mother’s Story). We discussed our holiday book selections. 

Watch below, or get the video plus text of our book picks right on the WGBH site.

Somerville Artist of the Month

Here in my humble home-city of Somerville, Mass., the Somerville Arts Council named me Somerville Artist of the Month for January 2014. This is a program "to celebrate the enormous wealth of talent in our city, by shining a spotlight on a different creative Somervillian each month." I am honored! Here is the announcement, and a Q&A where I try to explain something of what I do in this whole writing racket. Thank you Somerville Arts Council!

All I needed to know about life I learned from “Dungeons & Dragons”

I was lucky enough to publish this piece on Salon.com, using the occasion of D&D's 40th anniversary this month to wax poetical about all the life lessons the game taught me.

Here's an excerpt:

I played a lot of D&D back in the 1970s and 1980s. After conquering me, D&D went on to transform geek culture. Not only had D&D invented a new genre of entertainment — the role-playing game — but it practically gave birth to interactive fiction and set the foundation for the modern video game industry. Into “Halo” or “Call of Duty”? You’re playing an incredibly sophisticated version of a D&D dungeon crawl.

After a long hiatus, I play the game again now, as a 47-year-old, mostly grown-up person. Today, with my +5 Goggles of Hindsight, I can see how D&D was subtly helping me come of age. Yes, it’s a fantasy game, and the whole enterprise is remarkably analog, powered by face-to-face banter, storytelling and copious Twizzlers and Doritos. But like any pursuit taken with seriousness (and the right dose of humor), Dungeons & Dragons is more than a mere game. Lessons can be applied to the human experience. In fact, all I really need to know about life I learned by playing D&D.

Read the rest here.

Desolation of Tolkien: My BoingBoing review of Smaug

Like with the trilogy's first episode, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, this next chapter even further widens the viewfinder beyond the fates of Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and the Company of dwarves, lead by Thorin (Richard Armitage).

If you recall, their journey thus far took our heroes from Bilbo's hobbit hole in the Shire, past some trolls, under the Misty Mountains, escaping a seemingly infinite supply of goblins, ending just shy of Mirkwood forest, with the Lonely Mountain, their target, towering in the distance. We last left them after they'd battled orcs and wargs, having just been rescued by eagles from flaming trees and the brink of doom.

An Unexpected Journey took 182 minutes to tell, and covered only about 125 of Tolkien's 375 pages (in my version of the book, anyway). The Desolation of Smaug is slightly shorter, but still runs a hefty 161 minutes, and takes us about 2/3 of the way through the story. Where exactly the film leaves Bilbo, Thorin et al, I won't say here.

If part 1 plodded, then part 2 flies. But in what directions! And, quite possibly, asunder.

Read more of my review of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on BoingBoing.

On WPR discussing D&D

The D&D display at the Strong Museum, Rochester, NY (Image: Ethan Gilsdorf)

I appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio's "Central Time" Monday 1/20/14 at 4:45PM CST (5:45 ET) on a program about the 40th anniversary of D&D (and Wisconsin native Gary Gygax) in a segment called "The Influence And Wisconsin Origins Of Dungeons and Dragons." The other guest was Dork Tower creator John Kovalic.

You can listen to the archived program here.

So You STILL Want to Be a Writer in 2014?

It's the New Year -- time to commit (or re-commit) yourself to writing in 2014! 

Two sections of my Grub Street class "So You Want to Be a Writer in 2014?" have sold out, so we've just added a third section, on Friday, January 24th, 2:30-5:30pm. Hope you can join me! Details below. Sign up here. 

[NOTE: there's a database error -- it SAYS Monday Jan 24 but I assure you, class actually will run on Friday. This will get fixed soon.]

So You Want to Be a Writer in 2014? Section C

Friday, January 24th, 2:30-5:30pm at Grub Street headquarters.

It's the New Year -- time to commit (or re-commit) yourself to writing in 2014! In this seminar, we’ll inspire you to take your craft and marketplace ambitions seriously. First, we'll debunk commons myths and look in the eye some tough realities that threaten to stand in your way. Then, we'll recommend and discuss concrete strategies to help you become the writer you want to be, including: how to combat psychological issues such as fear, writer's block and rejection; what sacrifices you need to make time and build a career; how to hold your feet to the coals with accountability; how to work on multiple projects in different genres; and how to network and put yourself and your work out there. You'll leave having drafting short-term and long-term goals and action plans to make them happen, as well as connections to a fresh community of fellow writers. For beginners, or anyone looking to re-inspire or re-commit themselves as writers.

How is a lawyer like a wizard? D&D goes to Harvard (and so do I

Wil Wheaton's dream: to have a T-shirt that says "My sword glows blue in the presence of rules lawyers."

How is a lawyer like a wizard? How does a courtroom resemble an epic battle? How is a casebook like the Dungeon Master's Guide?

I'm excited to be part of  the "Berkman luncheon series" to give a talk called "How Dungeons & Dragons and Fantasy Prepare You for Law and Life," February 11, 2014, 12:30pm, at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society.

For this event, I'll be appearing in conversation with Jonathan Zittrain, a Harvard wizard (Professor at the Harvard Law School, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and co-founder of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society --- whew!).

We'll discuss such issues, with the audience, as: How the skills, rulebooks and "laws" required to play D&D  --- whether understanding complex "to hit" charts or inventing the backstory of an evil Witch King -- can especially apply to law students; the push and pull of laws and rules vs. imagination in a game like D&D, a book series like Harry Potter, or any fantasy world; and the role of the dungeon master/author/world-builder in the consistent (or inconsistent) application of these rules and standards, and how this all might apply to the imaginary world of law, too.

It is free and open to all, but please an RSVP here. You can also see it webcast live here as well, where you can also get more information.

More info on Ethan-themed events here.