50 Years of Dungeons and Dragons: An Iconic Fan-Favorite With Ray Winninger

The Here's Waldo Podcast

Ray Winninger is a seasoned video game pioneer who began his career as a freelance designer in high school. His most recent role was as Executive Producer at Wizards of the Coast, where he managed a studio for Wizards’ Dungeons and Dragons. Ray’s career spans over 30 years, leading departments for prominent companies such as Sony, Viacom, Microsoft, and Amazon.

In this episode…

The popular tabletop role-playing Dungeons and Dragons celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and is played by more than 50 million people. How can established publishers like D&D maintain longevity and popularity?

As gaming industry pioneer Ray Winninger explains, one of the most significant appeals of gaming is the ability to immerse oneself in another world. D&D developers understand that people enjoy being able to create characters and stories with no restrictions. Although it may seem obvious and trite, Ray affirms that companies must employ product developers familiar with their target market. This necessitates that game designers and company heads conduct polls and studies to determine what’s popular and why their clients prefer certain games.

Join Lizzie Mintus on today’s episode of the Here’s Waldo Podcast, where Ray Winninger, a pioneer in the gaming industry, joins her. The two discuss the quintessential Dungeon and Dragons, Ray’s contributions to the brand, why D&D has maintained longevity, and how historical companies can create innovative products without losing authenticity.