Historical Perspective: 1980s "60 Minutes" segment on D&D

[Orius]

For those outside of the US, let me put this into perspective. "60 Minutes" is the longest continuously running show airing during Prime-Time (i.e. 7-11PM) viewing hours. It is now 40 years old.

And its reporters are twice that.

60 Minutes has always used selective editing to strongly imply things that are not true, while technically sticking to the rules of fair journalism. They pretty much were the first to use the practice to such widespread success, though they have certainly been copied a lot since. Keep those videos in mind, anytime a news program talks about a controversial subject where you don't personally know much.

I've never liked 60 Minutes, I don't agree with their views and selective editing makes things worse. I despise sensationalism and selective editing or quotes out of context in journalism, because I value reason highly, and those "journalistic" practices are anything but reason. They pander to fear and ignorance, and I loathe that, no matter what side is being presented. That's all I'm saying because anything more would be political.

 

[Obryn]

Yeah, I think a point some of the younger folks reading this thread might be missing is that, if you were a gamer in the 80's this was very, very serious.

It might look quaint or ridiculous in the rear-view mirror. Indeed, it is. But major media outlets, churches, schools, and many parents basically swallowed Pat Pulling's arguments wholesale.

Like, above, where The Grumpy Celt's mom burned his gaming books. This wasn't just "Oh, look at the silly things people used to believe!" I mean, people nowadays get hysterical about violent video games - but the anti-D&D sentiment back in the 80's was more prevalent.

The mid-80's and early 90's had a lot of obsession with satanism. If it wasn't gaming, it was backtracked messages in heavy metal. And then came the satanic ritual abuse witch hunts...

I'm glad my folks knew I was a good kid, and clearly not trying to summon demons in my bedroom. I lucked out.

-O

 

[The Little Raven]

I'm glad my mom was never silly enough to believe this nonsense. I came home one day, when I was 6 years old, with a copy of the 1e PHB under my arm and sat down that night and read through it with my mom. She helped explain things to me that just weren't sinking in otherwise.

 

[questing gm]

This is interesting.

I've personally never gone through the paranoia since I've only been born. And I don't see the hobby getting any bad rep in this time and place.

 

[That One Guy]

Yeah, I think a point some of the younger folks reading this thread might be missing is that, if you were a gamer in the 80's this was very, very serious.

It might look quaint or ridiculous in the rear-view mirror. Indeed, it is. But major media outlets, churches, schools, and many parents basically swallowed Pat Pulling's arguments wholesale.

Oh man, no worries... I get it. I know my tone is a mix of bitter amusement and vague attempts to find some humour in what is really terrible. It's my nature. But, I was pretty much raised in a church. My best friend was(...is, actually) a preacher's son whose father forbid him to play M:tG back in the day. I remember a continuing current of anti-table top /Anything-that-could-be-remotely-connected-to-satan going on. I can fathom peers and people I respect being controlled by fear and ignoring their own reason. Also, I'm oddly embittered because people are still ruled by being scared of things. I think it is a serious matter (and related items still are), but because it is a serious matter I think it should be approached with some sense of awareness and humour. It's how I cope.

 

[Relique du Madde]

While going through treatment for the cancer, she waited until a day I was a junior college and work to collect all my gaming books she could get her hands on, and then she burned them.

My mom did that once to all the cds and tapes that existed within our house during the late 80s or early 90s with the help of a Priest who decided which cds/tapes were 'evil' (no bull)... Then when I was starting to get into DnD (around 96) she threatened to do it to my DnD books.

 

[Kitsune]

I had to hide my D&D books from my mother in the mid-80s thanks to insane idiocy like that. Of course, now that I live on my own I'm able to worship my dark master freely, and have made many sacrifices to his vile name. Ia! Ia! Yog-Sothoth!

 

[icarusfallz]

I, too, am a part of the "Burned Books Brigade." I started gaming in 1980 (at 8 years old).

The odd thing is that my VERY Christian Grandmother didn't care at all that my cousins and I played D&D. My mother (who never set foot in a church after she moved out of her mother's house) was stupid and paranoid enough to buy into the anti-D&D crap.

I never quit playing. I never killed anyone over D&D. Never Raped anyone. Never suicided (obviously).

And there are still idiots who hate/fear D&D. There always will be.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Man those are unbelievable! I even lived and played DnD during those times and seem to remember hearing about the rubbish in the US. I thought it was completely exaggerated... obviously I was wrong.
Here in NZ I certainly got teased for being a geek, but everyone (1000+) at my secondary school knew we played. Not once was devil worshipping or other bollaux mentioned.

Now if someone can just tell me how to summon a demon from a games book maybe I'll be able to get millions of real dollars from monopoly using the same technique!

 

[Hand of Evil]

Oh, those were the days! Oh, the blinders and miss information. I remember the news checking out the schools here for follow-ups on the story. I think every story of D&D deaths has been debunked.

Glad, sharks, milk and peanut butter, kill more people than D&D.