Dungeons & Dragons in Popular Culture - Players

Players

The following public figures have stated that they play, or have played, Dungeons & Dragons, indicating the game's broad appeal to a diverse range of talented individuals.

• Bill Amend, cartoonist
• Kevin J. Anderson, author
• Noah Antwiler, internet comedian
• Lee Arenberg, actor
• Mark Barrowcliffe, author
• Stephen Colbert, Emmy Award winning comedian
• Rivers Cuomo, musician
• Vin Diesel, actor
• Lexa Doig, actor
• Tim Duncan, two time NBA MVP winning professional basketball player
• Jon Favreau, actor, screenwriter and director
• James Franco, actor
• Ethan Gilsdorf, poet, teacher and journalist
• Michael Gove, conservative politician, journalist and author
• Matt Groening, Emmy Award winning cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer
• Sasha Grey, AVN Award winning porn star
• Chris Hardwick, actor, writer and comedian
• Tim Harford, economist and journalist
• Brent Hartinger, author and playwright
• Dan Harmon, writer, performer and producer
• Paul S. Kemp, author
• Matthew Lillard, actor
• David Lindsay-Abaire, Pulitzer prize winning playwright and lyricist
• Michelle Malkin, conservative columnist
• Marilyn Manson, musician
• Robert MacNaughton, actor
• China Miéville, author
• John J. Miller, political reporter
• Moby, musician
• Mike Myers, actor
• Alexis Ohanian, entrepreneur, investor
• Patton Oswalt, actor and comedian
• Brian Posehn, actor and comedian
• Bruce Reyes-Chow, Presbyterian minister, writer
• John C. Reilly, theater actor, singer, and comedian
• Ed Robertson, musician
• Zak Smith, artist and alternative porn star
• Rider Strong, actor
• Karl Urban, actor
• Mark Tremonti, musician
• Varg Vikernes, musician
• Gerard Way, musician
• Chris Weitz, producer, writer, director and actor
• Wil Wheaton, actor
• Robin Williams, Grammy and Emmy award winning actor and comedian
• Daniel H. Wilson, author, television host, and robotics engineer
• Rainn Wilson, actor

Stephen Colbert developed an intense interest in the game during his youth, which he later credits for his talent at character creation. Ethan Gilsdorf credits the game for bestowing upon him "gifts of creativity and self-actualization". Actor Vin Diesel, in his introduction to the book Thirty Years of Adventure, wrote that he was "attracted to the artistic outlet the game provided". The game was "a training ground for our imagination, and an opportunity to explore our own identities". Vin Diesel, Mike Myers, and Robin Williams participated in the 2006 Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day, demonstrating that the game is still a lively and active hobby.

Director Chris Weitz pointed out that there "are a lot of people who played and are horribly embarrassed about it and won't admit it, because it's part of their lives they put behind". He developed a fervent interest in the game, even greater than in making movies, and says the experience "had such an influence on his life". Director Jon Favreau was drawn into the game by the fantasy elements and the sense of story, saying "it gave me a really strong background in imagination, storytelling, understanding how to create tone and a sense of balance".

Political reporter John J. Miller says that D&D was a big part of his life during his school years, and argues that, "there's a lot to admire about D&D and what it can do for kids by encouraging them to read, do math, and think creatively". Fantasy author China Miéville says that playing Dungeons & Dragons as a youth was one of the most enduring influences on his writing. The two things that particularly influenced him were "the mania for cataloguing the fantastic" and "the weird fetish for systematization", with the latter meaning in the sense that everything is reduced to "game stats". By contrast, author Mark Barrowcliffe now considers his years playing Dungeons & Dragons to be a wasted youth and all of the players to be nerds. He has tried to put the experience behind him.