2024 has been an incredible year for gaming, and it seems to be ending with a bang because December is bringing a whole slew of video game adaptations to Amazon Prime Video through the special anthologySecret Level. Created by the studio behindLove, Death and Robots, fans can expect 15 episodes ofSecret Levelfeaturing their favorite gaming IPs fromPac-MantoConcordto be released in pairs every week starting December 10.
One ofSecret Level’s episodes featuresan adaptation ofDungeons & Dragons, which might confuse some viewers before or after watching, as the short feature does indeed adapt the tabletop roleplaying game rather than anyD&Dvideo game. However,Dungeons & Dragonsdoes deserve a place in the anthology, even if it might not be adapting a video game outright due to the connectionD&Dhas with gaming and its subculture as a whole.
Dungeon & Dragons' Place in Secret Level Explained
To understand exactly whyDungeons & Dragonsbelongs inSecret Level, it’s worth looking back at the history of video gaming and the tabletop RPG as a whole.Dungeons & Dragonsspecifically came around in 1974, 35 years after the World Science Fiction Convention was organized in America, which led to the rise of traditional cons as people know them today.
Science fiction conventions and other types of cons, such as fantasy, served as a hub for many fans of novels, TV shows, and more, which helped like-minded people gather to enjoyhobbies such asDungeons & Dragonstogether. Those who enjoyed sci-fi and fantasy typically blended and created more works in the genre after their own favorite stories inspired them. This led to these genres making their way into video games, with a few developers citingD&D,its mechanics, and its classes as their main source of inspiration. This opened the doors for cons such as San Diego Comic-Con and Atlanta’s Dragon Con, which originally focused on comic books and roleplaying specifically, to include anime, video games, and practically every avenue of entertainment.
Just as long as video games have been around,Dungeons & Dragonshas been there right beside them as a source of inspiration and a beloved hobby. D&D is constant, hugely successful, and ultimately a central pillar for “geek culture.” Just as there’s a strong overlap between those who enjoy video games and anime these days, the same overlap existsbetween gamers andDungeons & Dragonsplayersfor a similar, but much more intimate, reason.
WhileDungeons & Dragonsmight not be the biggest influence on gaming as a whole today, the overlap of interests is far too big to ignore, which likely led to its inclusion inSecret Levelas it is. There’s arguably noDungeons & Dragonsvideo game more iconic than tabletopD&Ditself, and theSecret Levelepisode delivers some incredible escapades from one particularly unique party, which leaves very little to want from the short feature by the end.
Secret Level
Cast
Amazon Prime Video’s Secret Level is an animated series that explores different gaming worlds, telling short stories within them. Some of the featured games include Armored Core, Sifu, Unreal Tournament, Concord, Ghost of Tsushima, Pac-Man, and The Outer Worlds.
