GAME ON. Volume One Listings Editor James Johonnott is something of a gaming master. He’s pictured here running a D&D game.

Some of my strongest friendships have been forged by sitting around a table, laughing, and rolling dice. Games like Dungeons & Dragons have launched into the mainstream eye in recent years, a wide departure from the dim basements, pizza rolls, and outcast social circles of my youth. Games today – be they video games, tabletop games, or card games – invites us to explore new worlds together with friends. Some games we play to win, to get that euphoric feeling of getting the longest road in Catan or saving the world in Pandemic (unlikely). But mostly we're just playing games for the thrill, like Dungeons & Dragons, or losing a hard-fought game of Pandemic (far more likely).

That brings me to this issue’s special Gaming Culture section (starting on page 50). It’s jam-packed full of content about games in the Chippewa Valley: where to buy them, play them, and the people who make them.

As it happens, after spending eight years managing Volume One’s events calendar, I’ll be hosting my first event – and it’s all about games! Starting in late January, I’ll be teaching three seminars about how to get started playing Dungeons & Dragons, everything from how to build characters, build a gaming group, run adventures, and everything in between. Keep an eye on the Volume One events calendar or the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library calendar for updates. If you’ve ever wanted to get started, I hope to see you there!