Actually, the article doesn't really go into detail as to how the culture war against Dungeons & Dragons was won or lost, only that today D&D (and its fantasy mindset) have clearly won in culture, and fundamentalists touting the evils of FRPGs don't get segments on 60 Minutes any more.
Which is a good thing, of course.
I never got into RPGs until college, so, like all college students, I was able to deep dive into an indulgent, destructive lifestyle without my parents knowing. (Just kidding, Mom.) I was aware of the anti-D&D crowd, but more as something to mock.
I do have to wonder, beyond the War on D&D, if there was a certain degree to which this cultural lashing out contributed to the gradual discrediting evangelical Christianity in segments of the population. Here were arguably some of the best and brightest in schools pursuing a harmless entertainment (a lot fewer injuries than school sports, certainly), and preachers were publicly railing against their sinful acts and likely succumbing to demonic influence and madness. That sort of accusation doesn't get forgotten easily, and it's not unreasonable to think it would lead a lot of those kids to take the next pronouncements from said preachers a lot less seriously.
How We Won the War on Dungeons & Dragons
Thirty years ago, a war raged between the dorks who played Dungeons & Dragons, and the conservative parent groups who believed that gaming was debauched at best and Satanic at worst. Lives were ruined. People died. And now that war is over. I still can’t believe we won.
