For most of human history, storytelling was central to how we understood the world. People gathered around fires at the end of the day, sharing experiences, passing down wisdom, and reinforcing their place in a community. Stories weren’t just entertainment—they were a way to make sense of life, strengthen bonds, and shape identity.
That tradition, in a personal way, is a mere glow of what it once was.
Stories of Ourselves Vanish
We spend more time consuming stories than creating them. Instead of telling our own, we binge-watch shows, participate in the voyeurism of reality TV, scroll endless social media. We immerse ourselves in the lives of others. There is no shortage of narratives, but they come from outside our personal experience.
When we no longer participate in storytelling, we disconnect from our own sense of meaning and identity (1). Personal stories—the ones that bind families, friendships, and communities—fade away, replaced by passive consumption. The more we absorb scripted or curated content, the less we engage in the shared act of storytelling that once brought people together.
The decline of friendships runs parallel. I won’t claim storytelling is the sole cause, but it’s hard to ignore the connection (2). The fewer shared experiences, the more fragmented our relationships become.
Play and Imagination
Something else fades with time—our ability to play (3). As children, imagination comes naturally. But as we grow older, play is dismissed as childish, and we convince ourselves that stories are something to be watched, not made.
Yet storytelling and play serve a deeper function (4). They help us process life, explore ideas, and connect with others. For generations, oral traditions provided a shared understanding of the world. Whether based on truth or myth, stories shaped culture and reinforced relationships.
J.R.R. Tolkien called this “Secondary Reality”—the idea that stories, whether factual or fictional, feel real to us in the moment. Our own memories function the same way. They aren’t perfect records; they’re revised and reshaped over time, forming the personal narratives that define us. When we stop tapping into memories and stories, we lose control of our own narratives.
Why the OSR Matters
At first glance, a group of people sitting around a table rolling dice might seem trivial. But tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs), and particularly the Old-School Renaissance (OSR), revive something modern society has largely forgotten—participatory storytelling.
Unlike watching a show or playing a video game, TTRPGs require active engagement. Players create characters, make decisions, and collaborate to build a shared narrative (5, 6). The story doesn’t exist without them. It’s not a pre-written script—it unfolds through imagination, improvisation, and interaction.
More modern corporate-driven TTRPGs (of those that shall not be named) still facilitate collaborative storytelling, but they increasingly shift the focus away from the shared human experience. Their emphasis on structured narratives, endless character options, sometimes polished visuals or technology, and hyper-optimization of characters (among many other oddities) turns the game into a personalized power fantasy rather than a communal story.
This is why the OSR is important. Classic tabletop games demand creativity. Players must think critically, engage with one another, and immerse themselves in a world built primarily through ideas, words, and expression. It is one of the last spaces where storytelling is a shared, living experience rather than something passively consumed.
Reclaiming the Fire
TTRPGs are more than just games. They are one of the last places where people actively create stories together. They revive the communal act of storytelling that has defined human culture for thousands of years.
In a world where most stories are fed to us through screens, “old-school” games offer something different. They invite us to imagine, to collaborate, and to shape narratives that feel as real as any history we tell ourselves. It may not be a literal fire, but it serves the same purpose—a place where people gather, speak, listen, and create something greater than themselves.
The only question is whether we are willing to gather around it.
Other Research Considerations
- Dan McAdams on narrative identity – Storytelling is crucial for forming meaning.
- https://sites.northwestern.edu/studyoflivesresearchgroup/
- EU Commission, Loneliness and Social Media Study in 2024 – Passive media consumption correlates with high loneliness and weak friendships.
- https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC135806
- Stuart Brown on play and creativity – Play improves cognition and problem-solving.
- https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/practice-play-dr-stuart-brown
- Kyung Hee Kim’s research on the “Creativity Crisis” – Creativity scores in children have declined since the late 1990s, likely due to reduced unstructured play.
- https://www.robhopkins.net/2018/09/20/kyung-hee-kim-on-the-creativity-crisis/
- Fine’s Shared Fantasy (1983) – Sociological studies of early D&D, showing its role in group identity and creative problem-solving.
- https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo5949823.html
- A 2023 Scoping Review on TTRPGs as Psychological Interventions – RPGs improve creativity, empathy, and social connectedness.
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11299717/
