Mazes and Monsters (1982)
This made-for-CBS movie has endured mostly because it features a Bosom Buddies-era Tom Hanks in one of his first movie roles, though it does offer a window into how a nervous mainstream perceived nerdy hobbies in the early 1980s. Not long after starring in this, Hanks become a comedy star thanks to Splash and Big—en route to an Oscar-winning career across different genres—but in Mazes & Monsters, he’s a college kid who comes to believe he’s actually the character he created for a fantasy role-playing game very much in the vein of Dungeons & Dragons. Watch on Peacock
