Critical Role

• ProbablyMonsters ™, an independent video game company that aims to change the way games are made, continues to cultivate new development teams and games under Chief Product Officer, media and entertainment executive Adam Rymer.
• Additionally, the company revealed Hidden Grove , a new development team led by Chris Opdahl, which is working on an original multiplayer competitive adventure game using Unreal Engine 5.
• As Chief Product Officer, providing advice, insight, and guidance to create opportunities for success across the board is a key part of Rymer’s role.
• “Our definition of product isn't just the games here at ProbablyMonsters; it's also the design of the teams themselves,” said Adam Rymer.

• Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a pivotal analytical tool across various scientific disciplines, including nanotechnology, materials science, and biology.
• The key players in the Transmission Electron Microscope Market include Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Carl Zeiss AG, AMETEK, Inc, Bruker Corporation, Hitachi Ltd., and others.
• We proudly unveil ThinkMi, a cutting-edge AI product designed to transform how businesses interact with the Transmission Electron Microscope Market.
• "Dive into the Transmission Electron Microscope Market Landscape: Explore 183 Pages of Insights, 574 Tables, and 26 Figures"

Half a century on from its creation, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) continues to attract millions of players across demographics. The tabletop role-playing game truly has cemented its position in an increasingly competitive market, valued at more than US$15 billion (A$23 billion) in 2022. How is a fantasy game from 1974 still capturing the imagination of so many people?

How to play

• They are a collaborative form of storytelling where players collectively control the narrative and “play” their characters through their words and actions.
• In D&D, each player creates a character (such as a human, elf or dwarf, to name a few examples) with unique qualities.
• Guided by a dungeon master, your party narrates a quest-filled campaign filled with sticky situations and perilous encounters.
• But, at its heart, D&D is simply a collective effort to tell a great story.

A global success

• D&D’s increased popularity, over the past decade in particular, has been driven by the success of the game’s current version (the fifth edition, released in 2014), the growth in online gaming culture, as well as increased social acceptance of what have historically been considered “nerdy” or “geeky” interests.
• Franchises such as Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings have also helped bring fantasy narratives into the mainstream.
• Following its 2014 release, celebrities such as Vin Diesel and Joe Mangianello made online appearances playing D&D.
• D&D continues to evolve through the rich contributions of its fan base, for whom it has become an important outlet for creativity and self-expression.

We all need connection

• One recent Australian study, of community members playing the game over an eight-week period, found playing D&D decreased players’ depression, stress and anxiety, and increased self-esteem.
• The authors suggest the game could be used as a wellbeing intervention tool or to prevent mental health issues from arising.
• Role-playing games in particular offer psychological support to people of all ages, helping to combat anxiety and build confidence.

The campaign continues

• Public libraries have included spaces for gaming since the 1850s, starting with billiard tables and puzzles, and now including video games.
• New social media communities, such as the Latrobe Valley Boardgamers Facebook Group, are frequently popping up for people with shared gaming interests.

• Lisa M. Given is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
• She receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the Australian Library and Information Association.

• CHICAGO, Sept. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) will present its biennial PFF Summit 2023 from Nov. 9-11 in Orlando, Fla.
• "We are eager to connect patients with one another and with physicians and researchers at the PFF Summit 2023," said Dr. Franck Rahaghi, President, CEO and CMO of the PFF.
• The PFF Summit 2023 features sessions tailored to each group's experience with PF.
• The PFF Summit 2023 is made possible by the generous support of Boehringer Ingelheim, the Hales Family Foundation, and other individual and corporate donors.