26 Years Later, BioWare’s Most Influential RPG Is Still Shaping My Life
The writer reflects on how playing Baldur’s Gate 2 as a teenager shaped their lasting interest in fantasy, Dungeons & Dragons and writing. The game’s influence still runs through their work and weekly tabletop sessions, making BioWare’s legacy deeply personal to them.
Released in 2000, Baldur’s Gate 2 followed BioWare’s earlier Baldur’s Gate and brought the Forgotten Realms to life using second-edition D&D rules in real-time-with-pause combat. The writer says their encounter with the game led them to recreate its appeal with friends and eventually interview influential figures such as Forgotten Realms creator Ed Greenwood.
In short
- Baldur’s Gate 2 helped shape the writer’s life and career.
- Its influence began with a chance encounter in 2000.
- The writer still plays and writes about D&D each week.