As Dungeons & Dragons turns 50, should more political leaders roll the dice?

Contact for reporters:

Stacy Nick
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Note to journalists: The Audit podcast is produced by Colorado State University’s Marketing and Communications Department. All assets — including podcast audio, transcripts and photos — are available for full media use. Political Science Instructor James “Pigeon” Fielder is also available for interviews. More information along with the podcast can be found at https://col.st/VU2p5.

Fifty years ago, the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons was created, and despite some initial controversies, it has endured to become a beloved pastime and cultural touchstone for many. But for Colorado State University political science instructor James “Pigeon” Fielder, it’s much more than that. 

To Fielder, D&D — as it’s more commonly known — is a master class in political strategy, everything from diplomacy to alliance forming to conflict resolution. He recently spoke on CSU’s The Audit podcast about what a fantasy game filled with sorcerers, warlocks and wizards can teach our political leaders and how it might benefit them — and us — if they started to wage a very different kind of campaign.

Creating a “shared fantasy” where people can play out decision making in a safe space — whether they reap rewards or suffer the consequences of their mistakes — allows for a deeper learning experience, Fielder said. One that can be applied throughout their lives.

“What makes (D&D) so powerful is, in the game … risk feels real,” Fielder said.

About James “Pigeon” Fielder

James “Pigeon” Fielder joined CSU as an instructor after retiring from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel and associate professor of political science at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is also serving as a Marine Corps University Non-Resident Krulak Fellow for academic years 2021-2026, is the director of professional and educational games for Mobius Worlds Publishing, and consults on organizational wargaming, crisis response exercises and scenario planning.

Fielder researches interpersonal trust and emergent political processes through cyber-based interaction, and through tabletop and live-action gaming as natural experiments (also known as ludology, or the study of games and gameplay). He also has over two decades of experience designing, executing and assessing training exercises and wargames, from small-group tabletop discussions to multi-day exercises engaging more than 5,000 participants. He is also a managing editor of Active Learning in Political Science, associate editor of Simulation & Gaming, on the editorial board of The MORS Journal of Wargaming, was a TEDxMileHigh speaker on games, and has been interviewed on game-related topics by Reuters, USA Today and NBC News. 

He received his military callsign (or nickname) for having pet pigeons, including one bird, Heathcliff, that he’s had since 1996.