Dungeons & dreamers : a story of how computer games created a global community / Brad King & John Borland.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In 1974, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson published the tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons, a fantasy role-playing game that put players at the center of an interactive story. Unbeknownst to the two developers, their game would help ignite the computer game revolution just a few years later as D&D players tried to replicate their experiences on the new digital platform. Those two forces -- D&D and the computer game developers inspired by it -- have created rich, virtual spaces where people not only played, but also found friendship. This narrative non-fiction story follows the designers, developers, and players who built the virtual games and communities that define today's digital entertainment landscape. On the 40th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, the game that inspired the computer gaming revolution, the story explores the nature of what it means to live and thrive in virtual communities