Hello, just wanted to introduce myself. I've been interested in DnD for awhile and briefly played it for a bit awhile back. However I am very new to it, I have the starter pack for the 5e and am looking to get involved. 

For beginners is a in-person game better or online okay to? I'm still learning how to even make a character. So any advice on HOW to get started playing some games would be appreciated! Looking forward to meeting people, and making new friends. As well as reading all the tips and guides on here lol.

*Also I'm not sure how I would do online as DnD is a tabletop game? 

In person is generally a preferred method of play for new gamers, as it affords you the opportunity to get quick feedback on questions and makes other players helping out easier. That said, there is a pandemic going on, so in-person play is a bit harder to come by. Digital play can occur in a number of ways, from video chat services to "play-by-post" setups like in the forums here. 

Best way to start plying is to either find a local group already formed, usually through a local gaming shop, or get some friends together on your own and work out a game that way. Published adventures are nice training wheels for new groups as most of the work is already done for you. 

I think there is a game shop near me that I can go to, so Ill follow your advice and check them out. Especially if it'll make the learning experience easier and better then struggling to catch up online.

Thanks for the response!

I definitely wouldn't try to start learning DnD using play by post.

Doing video chats over Zoom or something equivalent has worked fine for the newest person in our group.

Welcome to D&D!

Like everyone has said, try to make your first game in-person. It's so much better than learning online.

Yep, just another shout-out for in-person. Not only is it easier to learn, it's way more fun even once you're experienced! And if you really have to play online, getting some friends together at the same time for a video/voice chat is way better than posting.

In my opinion, I agree with what others have said that D&D is best played in person at a table, at least when you first start out. Online is not bad per se, it just does not feel right to me; it feels kind of cold, distant, and slow. If I am interacting with my friends online, we rather play something on Steam together that is more fast paced. The primary bad thing about playing in person right now is that doing so probably is not the best idea with the pandemic going on.

As for starting out, I recommend just dive right in to creating your first character. For ease and convenience, I recommend using D&D Beyond to create your first character. I think the site does a pretty good job of guiding you through the character creation process. Your options will be limited on here if you have not purchased anything on the site, but I think that is a good thing since it would help reduce information overload.

The most difficult thing that I encountered when I first started out was wrapping my head around the magic system, as it is pretty non-intuitive. Other than that though, everything else is pretty straight forward.