I grew up in middle class, suburban Kansas. But, did not experience any of this hysteria. I guess I'm lucky. I've been playing RPGs for 30 years.
Lots of people play today. I strongly encourage anyone even slightly interested to visit local game shops, look for meetup.com rpg meetup and try it out. If you happen to be in austin http://www.meetup.com/dnd-823/
I'm happy to answer any questions about that meetup (which I organize), finding / starting a game, or RPGs in general. Here or email njharman@gmail.com
I continue to play today as well, it's a REALLY great hobby for a software engineer in particular, since it involves heavy and somewhat complex rulesets, some minor math, and a great way to socialize with staring at a computer screen. It really makes it easier to connect and talk to others as there is a built and fun subject to talk about. Playing RPG's has improved my life quite a bit since I picked it up again.
Lots of people play today. I strongly encourage anyone even slightly interested to visit local game shops, look for meetup.com rpg meetup and try it out. If you happen to be in austin http://www.meetup.com/dnd-823/
I'm happy to answer any questions about that meetup (which I organize), finding / starting a game, or RPGs in general. Here or email njharman@gmail.com