“Headquarters for Adventure Gaming ‘Escape'” in 1981

Just how popular was the Dungeons & Dragons* roleplaying game in the early eighties? This 1981 newspaper ad from the Akron Beacon Journal demonstrates that the game was mainstream enough to get this sweet promotion where anyone could see it. The store wasn’t hiding the game from the world . . . and they even went so far as to mention both the Top Secret and Gamma World roleplaying games! Damn, I wish newspapers today included advertisements for these games. Wait. Do newspapers even exist today?