From: [u--x--z] at [mcl.ucsb.edu] (Silk) Newsgroups: rec.games.frp,rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.frp.advocacy,rec.games.frp.dnd Subject: Anti-DND'ers in College...The OTHER Side Date: 5 Jun 92 22:22:09 GMT Followup-To: rec.games.frp Here it is, my paper... (sorry about the formatting...it was double spaced, etc....WordPerfect codes don't translate very well...) Kenneth Mencher Jun 1, 1992 Fantasy Role Playing Games: Good for You "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons is first and foremost a game for the fun and enjoyment of those who seek to use imagination and creativity." (Gygax, DMG p.9) Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) is one of the earliest of the genre of games called Fantasy Role Playing Games (FRPG's). This genre of games was started back in the mid-1970s and quickly became a favorite of the college set. It spread to both younger and older groups, and according to the LA Times, "Adults are less likely to pick up Parcheesi than they are a role-playing game." FRPG's involve creating "characters" by randomly rolling dice to determine their attributes, (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, etc.) then the player is encouraged to flesh out the character by creating a history, a full description, etc. A group of people then get together with their characters and a "Game Master," who leads the party of characters through an adventure. The Game Master usually has multiple books at his disposal, some of which contain supplementary rules, and others contain "monsters," a monster being, "any creature encountered -- hostile or otherwise, human, humanoid, or beast." (Gygax, MM1, p.5) and a few contain "deities." The Game Master has complete control of the adventure, and will often modify store-bought adventures to suit his taste. In the mid-1980s, AD&D in specific, and FRPG's in general came under attack by various groups as being responsible for teen suicides, satanism, and murders. These charges grew to such an intensity in the late 1980s that many schools, which, until that point had sponsored gaming groups, refused to allow these groups to meet on-campus. FRPG's also came under attack from various religious groups for "acting as doorways into the occult and satanism." (Assault on RPG's, p.1) However, contrary to these arguments, RPG's are not "evil," rather, they encourage creativity and cooperation. A look at Role Playing Games shows a need for a tremendous amount of imagination. "...stretching your imagination is what role-playing is all about." (PHB2, p.9) RPG characters are usually nothing more than a group of numbers on a sheet of paper, oc- casionally adding a lead miniature. The player "becomes" the character, breathing life into it, "'We become our character,' said Jacqui Weathersby, 49, an Escondido homemaker, 'We don't become neurotic and strange. We always know who we really are. But the joy is to be someone or something else.'" (LA Times, 5-14-92) By becoming their character, the player escapes from the real world for a short time, submerging themself in a world of monsters, heroes, and magic. "The game is played in the imagination. There's no playing board or moving pieces. Players assume the identity of a character and enter a medieval world of goblins, ghouls and wizards." (Ottawa Citizen, 11-3-91) This playing in the imagination leads one to believe that FRPG's are escapism, but, many other things that we do are escapism in and of themselves: "Movies and TV are escape, too, but these games are much more participatory. This is not being a recipient of what's in front of you; it's being a participant in what's before you. It's a wonderful combination of the adult and child within us all. It taps into the imagina- tion and characterization skills of the child while employing the thinking and problem-solving abilities of the adult." (Times, 5-14-92) This interactive form of escaping works for the benefit of the people playing, as they have to use their imagination and creativity to play, "It's possible that games like the D&D game may provide a key to unlock the inhibitions that block creativity." (Brothers, p.3) The second part of the argument in favor of FRPG's is that they encourage cooperation. "On the plus side, the game stresses cooperation...The Dungeons & Dragons game is a wonderful game because you are cooperating; it's a cooperative game, not a competitive one." (Brothers, p.1) Many games that young people play these days are competitive, for example, video games, sports, etc. On the other hand, the focus of any FRPG is the "party." A party is the group of adventurers, and must be well-balanced for the party to succeed. "Cooperation amongst party members is a major key to success." (Gygax, PHB, p.107) Infighting is likely to end up with the adventurers unable to complete the adventure. Also, it is a party, not an individual. If you look at your average movie, for example, very often, it is a single hero charging off and doing the whole work, possibly with one or two minor henchmen. However, your average FRPG will consist of four to twelve characters, each controlled by their own person, all interacting in a social environment. "By letting players belong to a group, the individuals get a feeling of being a part of something." (Brothers, p.1) This sense of belonging helps in development of self-confidence and self-esteem, two very important concepts for people, especially young people. However, there are people who oppose FRPG's, mainly because they believe that FRPG's are responsible for teen suicides and satanism, and demonstrate excessive violence. In a 1985 release, the National Coalition on Television Violence printed nine suicides they claimed were linked to AD&D. However, in each case, other problems can be found in the victims' lives that introduce reasonable doubt about AD&D being the cause of their suicide. For example, Timothy Grice killed himself with a shotgun in 1983. NCTV quoted a detective as saying, "D&D became a reality..." In a letter to Dragon Magazine (the major FRPG magazine), his mother, Royce Grice writes: "There has been a great deal of publicity nation wide attributing the death of my son...to the influence of Dungeons and Dragons. Nothing could be further from the truth...Dungeons and Dragons gave him many hours of pleasure. It was a delight to watch he and his friends play..." (Game Hysteria, p. 26) In each of the other eight cases cited by NCTV, other evidence shows that D&D had little, if anything to do with them. "Even if every alleged case cited by the NCTV was true, then the suicide rate of roleplaying gamers would still be 75 times lower than the average U.S. rate." (Game's Don't Kill, p.2) As for the charges that FRPG's are a "doorway into satanism," one must consider that FRPG's were inspired by J.R.R. Tolkein's works, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings, which were primarily inspired by Christian ideas. Also, there are many easier ways to delve into the occult, as some encyclopedias contain such information, along with information on witchcraft, spells, and magic. A look into the claims of excessive violence could lead one to believe that all this "mindless violence" would warp people. However, D&D does not suggest that people actually commit these acts, "As important as fighting is to the AD&D game, it isn't the be-all and end-all of play. It's just one way for characters to deal with situations." (PHB2, p.89) Compiling all this information together, and making sense of it is no easy task. FRPG's operate in a grey area between fantasy and reality called the imagination. This imagination drives people to look at themselves, to develop a creativity they didn't have before. FRPG's also force people to learn to work together. They debunk the myth that one man can conquer armies by himself. The objections to FRPG's are based on anecdotes and incomplete evidence. Looking at topics of this type require a sense of proportion. As Dr. Joyce Brothers puts it, "The Dungeons & Dragons game provides an especially safe way for young people to meet their needs for excitement and adventure." Sources/Bilbiography Bohuslawsky, Maria. "Still on a Role." The Ottawa Citizen, 3 November 1991, p A6 Brothers, Dr. Joyce "Games...Dungeons & Dragons Role-Playing and Game Play" 1984 Cook, David, ed. Player's Handbook, Second Edition Lake Geneva: TSR, Inc. 1989 Foster, Daniel. "Cheap Thrills for Hard Times," Los Angeles Times, 26 March, 1992, part E, Page 5A Gygax, E. Gary. Player's Handbook Lake Geneva: TSR Hobbies, Inc, 1979 Gygax, E. Gary. Dungeon Master's Guide Lake Geneva: TSR Hobbies, 1979 Gygax, E. Gary. Monster Manual 1 Lake Geneva: TSR Hobbies, 1979 Launer, Pat. "Role-Playing Games on a Roll," Los Angeles Times, 14 May, 1992, North County Focus, Page 3 National Coalition on Televison Violence. Dungeons and Dragons Linked to 9 Suicides and Murders, 17 January, 1985 Stackpole, Michael A. Game Hysteria and the Truth Phoenix 1989 Stafford, Greg. Games Don't Kill Plano: Game Manufacturer's Association 1988 Wiseman, Loren. The Assault on Role Playing Games Plano: Game Manufacturer's Association 1988 ---- AD&D, Dungeons & Dragons, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, D&D are trademarks of TSR, Inc. --- _ Silk (aka Thindrangistar) / \ / \ [u--x--z] at [mcl.mcl.ucsb.edu] \ \ /\ \ \ \ \ \ \ UCSB --> University of California \ \\\ \___ \ _ \_ at Santa Barbara \ \_ \____ \ / -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- \_ / "Computers are not intelligent, \_ \ \ \ They only think they are."