Did You Know Mesa County Teens Still Play This Game?

Back in the early and mid-1980s, you would find Grand Junction area teens gathered around tables playing this unbelievably popular fantasy role-playing game. Fast-forward about 40 years, and it appears the game is still popular with the youngins.

Back then, playing the game was something we did in secret, almost like a backroom poker game. Nowadays, teens gather at a far more respectable venue, namely the Mesa County Central Library, to play the game.

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Social Event Of The Decade

Do you recall a phenomenon called "Dungeons and Dragons"? To say this was popular with teenagers back in the 80s would be the understatement of the century. Looking back, I'm pretty sure this is all we did. Homework? Forget it. Chores? Not a chance. We played D&D, all day, every day.

How Did You Play The Game?

While I wasn't quite as interested as my peers, my memories of the game suggest it was a very involved, multi-layer experience that could go on for ages. According to Wikipedia:

These characters embark upon imaginary adventures within a fantasy setting. A Dungeon Master serves as the game's referee and storyteller, while maintaining the setting in which the adventures occur, and playing the role of the inhabitants of the game world. The characters form a party and they interact with the setting's inhabitants and each other. Together they solve dilemmas, engage in battles, explore, and gather treasure and knowledge. In the process, the characters earn experience points (XP) in order to rise in levels, and become increasingly powerful over a series of separate gaming sessions

 What Does This Have To Do With Summer 2021?

Dungeons and Dragons is still a part of our culture, so much so gaming sessions are still scheduled, religiously, throughout the year.

Mesa County Libraries hosts "Teen Dungeons and Dragons" on the first Friday of each month. The next session is coming up Friday, July 2, 2021.

Who Gets To Play?

According to the Mesa County Libraries page, it's open to any teen, so long as space is available. Beginners are welcome. Advanced players, even experts, are welcome, too. For the record, and I haven't a clue what this means, the game of choice will be Dungeons and Dragons, 5th edition.

This Is A Popular Grand Junction Event

This monthly event is so popular that at this time, there are no spaces available for this Friday's session. Sorry. If interested, you'll need to reserve a seat for the next round coming up on Friday, August 6, 2021. If you're interested, you'll need to put a wiggle in it. Looking at the registration, people have already begun to sign up for the next session.

These sessions are held in the Mesa Room at the Central Library from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. If memory serves, two hours isn't exactly a tremendous amount of time where this game is concerned.

Better Than The Old Days

Travel back in time to 1983, and you'd gather at Airtime at 11th and North in Grand Junction to play D&D. As I recall, fights would start when it came to reserving the gaming tables. If you couldn't play at Airtime, you played in the junk room in your parents' basement.

This sounds like fun. Looking back, playing Dungeons and Dragons sparked our imaginations, increased our social interaction, and taught us to think outside of the box... or at least that's what we told our parents when they would yell at us.

Nowadays, teens can play this exciting game in a healthier, and probably drastically cleaner environment, the Mesa County Library.