Come on, really? No sympathy at all? I remember this kind of sentiment being frequently voiced when this story first broke, but I really don't understand it.
Okay, so the guy's a prisoner; he certainly committed a serious crime. And I don't know all the details of his particular case but, can't you imagine a different world where someone did something heinous to your sister and you decided to take the law into your own hands, thereby landing yourself in a cell? What would you do to pass the time there? Stare at bricks in the wall?
What part of "Kevin T. Singer, a long-time dungeon-explorer sentenced to life in prison in 2002 for bludgeoning and stabbing his sister’s boyfriend" implies that said boyfriend did something heinous to his sister?
While I certainly agree that "prisoners are people too", the idea that a life sentence (or any sentence) is "pretty harsh punishment in and of itself" is entirely dependent upon what that term means. The more comfortable prison is, the better it looks in comparison to, say, working and contributing to society.
I also disagree that not being allowed a game within a prison environment is "cruel". Personally, I wouldn't allow television, either, and movies would be a treat for good behaviour. But, then, I don't think prisons should ever become too comfortable. Being incarcerated for a felony crime should be something that one strenously avoids.
(I will grant that, in some cases, this being one, I may just be an
.)
I don't believe that it is "arbitrary" either, because reading the decision convinced me that it was not. It is contrary to the security of a prison to allow a prisoner to put himself in a position of authority over other prisoners, and then actively recruit.
When I was in Basic Training (US Army), there was little to do on the weekends, so I ran a D&D game. We weren't allowed books or dice, but I came up with a system by which a game could be run. So that I had time to prep the game, I had other recruits offering to polish my boots, make my bed, etc.
I can imagine how much easier it would be to take advantage within a prison environment, were one disposed to do so. I certainly could so. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that within a year and half, I'd have guards involved in the games, unless the prison prevented me from so doing.
Finally, there is no evidence whatsoever that the "naughty nerds" angle that the news media is so fond of bringing up play any part in Captain Muraski's decision to confiscate Singer's campaign notes, or in the decision that determined he was justified in so doing.
So, no, I have no sympathy for Singer's desire to game in prison.
RC
