As the title says. I have some friends who I feel are becoming shut-ins. When not working they just sit at home all day, and play video games. Social life is almost non-existent for them. They have short attention spans which I feel is a growing trend for many people here in the United States. I'd like to get them involved in DND since I find it to be a very social game, and a lot more productive than just sitting in front of the TV all day. So how have you guys gotten friends or whoever interested?

First of all, they need to have some interest in fantasy to begin with. What kinds of video games do they play? If they play fantasy RPGs, either single player like Skyrim and the Witcher or MMORPGs like Guild Wars 2 and Final Fantasy 14, you will likely have a chance. If they only play shooters and sports games you will have a hard time. You may watch funny D&D related videos with them, such Viva la Dirt League D&D or maybe Vox Machina. Show them D&D or Pathfinder based video game. Tell them about the freedoms you have in a TTRPG with a human DM, that you don't have in a video game. If they have difficulty imaginging a TTRPG, tell them D&D is like Baldur's Gate without a computer. Don't belittle them for playing video games and watching TV shows.

Well, the attitude that they're games are unproductive while yours is productive isn't...helpful. Just view D&D as another game, one that you think that they will find fun to play. Don't just present arguments from that viewpoint, but actually realise it for yourself. D&D isn't a morally superior game than theirs - it's just a different game. One that hopefully they'll enjoy playing with you.

Then just offer to play it with them. Choose a setting that might appeal to them (if they like LotR, then play FR, if they enjoy horror, then play Ravenloft, etc), but otherwise, just explain to them what the game is like and would they like to come around and spend the evening playing it. If they do, great. Otherwise, that's fine, they don't have to. It's a game after all.

I think the point about not comparing it to a video game might be good, but a couple of other things to consider if/when you convince them to give it a go

- D&D can require a very heavy upfront investment in building characters - skip that bit and give them pre-generated characters. Ideally a range of choices from some of the more manageable classes from the basic rules so you don't overwhelm them with info and rules before they even get to roll a dice.

- Put emphasis on the players creating the situation so they get that sense of player agency and ability to impact the game in completely open ways. That can gradually be aligned more with rules along the route if you decide to play for longer - but i think it is really important for new players to experience that freedom of bringing whacky ideas to fruition early on!

- Run a short session to begin with - just a couple of hours. Don't keep going too long even if you are having fun. You want to close the first session gracefully, and leaving them wanting to play again (this is not intended as being devious - but simply ensuring they wrap up on a high rather than a later and fatigued end when everyone is jut tired)

No belittling of video games or my friends is intended here. It is just that they are becoming socially stunted by spending their free time playing video games. They aren't playing social video games like Among Us either. Typically shoot em up games really.

Foe starters, I would try to excise “this is for their own good” from your thought process - that might very well be the case, but the contempt for their status quo drips off your posts and could colour your conversation with them. I find folks are much worse at hiding their subconscious reasoning than they think they are,, so it is better for you to focus on other motivations that are more positive, so those inform your tone and diction when suggesting they play.  “I think we all would have fun doing that” is a much better motivation than “I will save you from yourselves” and is certainly less likely to be problematic when it inevitably slips from subconscious into your discourse. 

As for how to actually go about making players, think of a few things they might like about D&D - getting to explore a world with unlimited options; it’s a game you find really fun and think they might like it; any of the other things folks have said on this thread. 

Then do not bring those up at first.  No one likes to feel like they are being pressured to join a game - “Hey, I am trying to put a D&D party together, would you want to play with us” is a sufficient icebreaker to start the conversation.  Then you should let their response inform how you move forward. Are they not interested? Do they have questions?  Maybe a little interest but not completely sold?  Each of those require a different response tailored to the specific situation.  Notably, an outright denial means you should not try to push in that conversation.

You should also start with the person most likely to say “yes” - “I want to play D&D” is not as compelling as “Ann, Bob, and I want to play D&D, are you in?”  Additionally, once you gain more players, you can go back to anyone who said “no” with a “hey, I know you said no, but Ann, Bob, and I are all ready, but we still need another person - interested in being our last?”  If they say an outright “no” a second time, then probably not worth pushing too hard on that.

I personally would not start with a one shot in this kind of situation - at the conclusion of a one-shot, you have to go through the rigamarole of “do you want to keep playing now that we finished up?”  For reluctant players, you want to get them hooked and want to keep them hooked - an ending to the story gives them an off ramp where they can leave the group without feeling like they are leaving the story they got invested in.

Finally, have something other than D&D to entice them to come. Going to brunch before a session, D&D themed food (or cocktails if of age), or something else that gets them in your neighbourhood or otherwise provides them an incentive to come other than rolling dice can push the reluctant player over the finish line.

If they like shoot ‘em up games, you could tell them D&D is the original looter-shooter. Go out kill things, get their stuff and use it to kill slightly more more powerful things. Repeat. D&D invented that gameplay loop. Also, D&D has destructible environments, every door actually opens, every tree can be climbed, every NPC can be spoken to, that kind of thing. D&D is what most video games aspire to be, but can’t pull it off because video games can only act within the limits of their AI. D&D doesn’t have AI; it just has I.

And if you do get them to play, I’d say start with a combat heavy scenario. Use an NPC to point them at a dungeon, then ease them into the idea that the NPC can hold other conversations, besides just standing there with an exclamation mark over their head.

I just cajoled them into trying it until they gave in. 😂😂 Since your friends like shoot-‘em-ups, plan a classic dungeon crawl where the entire point is to kick in the door, kill the monsters, and take their stuff to get better at killing more monsters. Then onto a he next door. Once they get invested you can wean them off of that playstyle. Check out the first couple episodes of Matt Colville’s Running the Game series for a simple dungeon crawl you can run for them if you need it.