Local Pastor, Ian Isaak is spearheading the development of the local gaming community in Weyburn. While the group does focus on gathering to enjoy video games, in particular Dungeons and Dragons, the group is not limited to video games. The focus is also on board games, RPG tabletops and anything related to gaming culture. 

Before the COVID pandemic, the group met regularly but for the past two years, the gathering has been on hold, reuniting this month for the first time in two years. 

The Weyburn Gaming Community group was born out of a father-son relationship. 

“Before COVID I wanted to spend some more time gaming with my son,” shared Isaak “I saw that the library was hosting a Dungeons and Dragons group so I signed Marcus and me up.” 

“The librarian who was leading the game was no longer able to run it, she went on maternity leave,” explained Isaak.  

When discussing with the group if they wanted to continue Isaak shared, he didn’t have much experience leading the game or being a Dungeon Master but if the group wanted to learn with him, he would be more than happy to keep playing the game because he enjoyed the atmosphere. The group agreed and that is how the Weyburn Gaming Community was formed. 

Isaak has been playing Dungeons and Dragons for about six years. 

“I really appreciate the kind of imagination, story-telling aspect of it, the idea that you're all kind of together creating a common story together is something that really appeals to me,” shared Isaak. “The fact that you get to know people, it’s a social game and I am rather an extrovert so that is appealing to me as well, it’s a shared love a shared hobby.” 

“I always say it’s a collaborative story, whether everyone dies in an epic final battle, kind of Lord of the Rings-style or whether it's an ongoing journey of a group of friends the whole point is that you’re telling the story together.” 

"Dungeons and Dragons has had a bit of a bad rap, especially in the church world, it's seen as this taboo thing, I think generally in the culture playing D&D is seen as a bunch of sweaty guys in the basement, and I'm hoping to change some of that stigma, I'm hoping to show that this is actually a very social, very collaborative, very relationship-building game," shared Isaak.  "I think there are so many people who can benefit from creative story-telling together and that's what I'm hoping to do by hosting some of this at the library."

Isaak also wants to point out that you don't need to have any experience to play, it is a very new-person-friendly game.

The Dungeons and Dragons group meets every other Thursday at the Weyburn Public Library from 4 pm to 6 pm.  This group is full but Isaak is looking for more players to start additional groups you can contact him on their Facebook group here or you can email him at simwiz@gmail.com.