I’ve been playing Dungeons & Dragons, or things that are adaptations of D&D, for decades. It’s an awesome game, and when people act as if it somehow is as irrelevant as buggy whips, it ticks me off. Yes, some gamers have discovered they like other kinds of things more, and there are different games for them. Yes, there are things you can do with other RPGs you can’t do with D&D. But I can prove the reverse is also true.
The geek-arrogance of declaring “That thing is dead, and we should leave it behind” appalls me. People still play chess, even though there are things you can’t do with it, and its WAY older than D&D. I enjoy D&D. So do most of my friends. If we’re enjoying ourselves, and gathering for time with our friends, and getting out of the game what we want, who has the right to say our pastime is dull, stupid, or outdated?
I love that RPGs as a field continue to evolve and expand. I enjoy a lot of new, very not-D&D games as well. And I think real progress is made sometimes — my favorite version of D&D isn’t the fantasy rules for Chainmail. But if people enjoy that version of the game, I’m thrilled for them. I also would love to politely talk to them and see what it is they prefer about it — but that’s the game designer in me. 😀