That's interesting. I always think of it as such an early 80s phenomenon, I remember some comic and games stores like Wizards of the Coast having D & D, that was in the early - mid 90s
The current edition is very different from the 80s versions. Way more accessible and easy to pick up. Arguably that streamlining has removed some of the depth and complexity of older editions but the game is more successful than it's ever been.