BBC analyzes the 1980s D&D Panic

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26328105

BBC discusses D&D positively.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Factual, accurate, even-handed reporting? We can't have that. D&D must be persecuted to thrive.

D&D as "a fantasy role-playing game which uses demonology, witchcraft, voodoo, murder, rape, blasphemy, suicide, assassination, insanity, sex perversion, homosexuality, prostitution, satanic type rituals, gambling, barbarism, cannibalism, sadism, desecration, demon summoning, necromantics, divination and other teachings".

Darn -- how did I miss the supplements containing all that stuff?

 

[WayneLigon]

It's even more fascinating to realize this was just an offshoot of a general level of 'Satanic Panic' that swept the US at the time, where people believed there was an actual palpable Satanist conspiracy reaching into all levels of society, mostly concerned with child molestation/sacrifice rings. Sadly, the lives of many, many people were ruined or irrevocably thrown into disarray by this silliness, unlike what happened to the majority of D&D players.

 

[Henry]

It's even more fascinating to realize this was just an offshoot of a general level of 'Satanic Panic' that swept the US at the time, where people believed there was an actual palpable Satanist conspiracy reaching into all levels of society, mostly concerned with child molestation/sacrifice rings. Sadly, the lives of many, many people were ruined or irrevocably thrown into disarray by this silliness, unlike what happened to the majority of D&D players.

Best part of all of this was stories i've heard over the years of people whose parents had no problem with them playing Call of Cthulhu, because it wasn't that "satanic D&D" because an enormous evil waiting in the bowels of the Earth until the end of days to devour all humanity is far preferable to D&D, suuuure...

 

[Ryujin]

As an aside, for those who are old enough to remember the name Jack Trick, Zombie Orpheus Entertainment and JR Ralls are making a movie based on the classic anti D&D "Chick Tract" called "Dark Dungeons. Given who is involved it should be hilarious.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jrralls/rpgs-are-evil-dark-dungeons-the-movie?ref=live

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk2Pr9jXCr8

 

[Morrus]

As an aside, for those who are old enough to remember the name Jack Trick

Is he related to Jack Chick? .)

 

[Ryujin]

Is he related to Jack Chick? .)

Whoops! Got it right in "Chick Tract" but wrong when I typed the name. Must have been pondering over much on the prostitution part of the quote

Actually I think I got momentarily crossed up with a character name from "Lost Girl."

 

[Kettlebriar]

this is poor reporting on behalf of the BBC not even mentioning Jack Chick's DARK DUNGEONS! LOL.

 

[Tom Strickland]

...concerned with child molestation...silliness...

There was nothing imagined or "silly" regarding my concerns and first-hand experiences of months-long persuasion leading to violent attempted force by early teen boys to explicitly sexually molest me, a pre-teen, while participating in a social group away from adult supervision as a result of conspiratorial deception by the perpetrators (they always had cover stories and benign-seeming motives which matched) [in contrast to later true friends that I gamed with, and also groups of youths in Boy Scouts and martial arts].

One can fairly say there was "moral panic" at a societal level regarding D&D and imputed causal factors leading to criminal and deviant behaviors in "impressionable youth".

However, it would be unjust to make light of any real instances of harm that involved that game as a setting.

I only make a comment when sweeping generalizations are made that all stated harm that occurred during that period was fictitious. I do not take exception to the many explanations of general "moral panic" and overreaction.

The key take-away points for some people are that:

- Sexual crimes against children existed decades ago, and exist today

- Parents and organizations charged with youth oversight must strike a balance of involvement and must be wise regarding threats which do actually exist in society--focusing on criminals and their telltale stratagems which can be leveraged in numerous settings and activities, including role-playing games

 

[Ryujin]

Certainly any blanket statement is bound to be untrue, on some level, but every generation has some sort of similar panic. "I buried Paul" and Satanic lyrics when the album is played backwards, from the '60s and '70s. That 'jungle music' corrupting our teens, in The Swing Era. The Earth goes 'round the sun. The very fact a thing is present, that does not make that thing the cause. In my case being able to work out my bullied teen frustrations in role play likely kept me from running through a shopping mall with a machete or shotgun.

It's like blaming rock music, TV, or video games for killing sprees. There always seems to have been an unaddressed mental or social issue long before things exploded.