D&D 5E Dungeons and Dragons and the RPG Stigma

[Mr. Flibble]

I'm having an interesting experience. I'd had the notion a few months ago that starting up a D&D game or club could be beneficial for some of our students - I teach English as a second language at a large university. My wife thought I should be careful because of the stigma she perceived. (She isn't a gamer, and her personality is such that it probably wouldn't be a good activity for her, but I've been able to show her that the stigma is unfounded. She does worry a lot, though.) I've since begun cautiously throwing out the idea to a couple of colleagues, and so far I've encountered zero judgmentalism. Everyone I've mentioned this to sees it as I do, whether they have a gaming background or not: a creative social outlet for some of our students that would also engage and challenge the full range of their English skills. Unfortunately, my schedule for the summer semester will be too busy to make it work, but I'm thinking of trying to implement this when I have some more free time.

 

[Morlock]

My favorite response to obvious negativity like this, over silly things, is pity. Obvious, immediate pity.

 

[Uchawi]

It is a mixed bag bringing any hobby to work, especially if it is in a line of work that requires a lot of education or years of experience. There is an expectation that everyone puts in there dues, and why aren't you working on advancing your profession versus working on some 'supposed' frivolous endeavor, including playing a RPG. Then there is the stigma overall of how any RPG is perceived because it is in the minority and not understood. In the end, each of us will have to make a decision on what is important to us, even if others perceive it as wasted time. Life is not all about work. It is about expressing ourselves and interacting with other people. But we also have to work with accepting other peoples idea and beliefs, even if we may not agree.

The one thing I dislike more than anything else is the 'we versus them' mentality, drawing lines in the sand, and allowing no room for compromise or acceptance.

 

[dungeon crawler]

Interesting. I assume they were rank-and-file Catholics. I'm not Catholic, but about half the handful of Catholic priests I've known well enough to care what they do for fun, played D&D. I wonder what those folks you encountered would think about that.

They would probably also have fun with the fact that, as a strong Christian and church elder who leads multiple Bible studies during the week, I'm quite certain that I would not be a Christian, today, if I hadn't played D&D and been prompted to dig into things like Medieval and ancient history, the works of Tolkien, folk religion, etc.

I am a Licensed Minister in a Baptist church. I lead a small group for gamers.

 

[justinj3x3]

I openly let people know I enjoy D&D, Marvel comics, and Star Wars. Nobody has ever given me a problem. I also happen to work with a large variety of people from different walks of life. Once I was extra amused when someone that would be considered more of a 'thug' type walked by my desk and went, "Oh Ben Reilly!" when they saw my Scarlet Spider action figure on my desk.

 

[Minsc]

A curious thing happened to me today that I'm guessing has happened around a dozen times ove the last year. I work at a hospital essentially as a unit clerk, and as such I have quite a bit of time on my hands. Recently, I've taken to bringing my 5E books to prepare for material for upcoming sessions, and generally work on my campaign setting. I've recieved a few comments on it, generally curiosity, with very little of it being negative (in fact, a coworker recently has wanted to start playing, which I found extremely pleasing.). But today, a doctor approached who I hold in high regard, someone whom I hope will write a recommendation for me for medical school. The second he saw the book, he seemed incredulous that I would play it. Contempt was dripping from his voice, and he warned me to not bring up this hobby to the admissions boards under any circumstances. Not only that, but he went on, speaking in a stereotypical nasally nerd drawl, to the laughter of many of the nurses around.

This isn't something entirely new to me. I've had to deal with prejudice against nerds all my life. But in all those cases, it was children or teenagers doing the teasing, not adults, and it floored me how derisive he ws towards a simple hobby. With a resurgence of nerd culture into the mainstream, comic books and sci if action films being the highest grossing films, Skyrim and World of Warcraft being incredibly popular, I had thought maybe some of the stigma attached to D&D might have disappeared. It made my blood boil, and I truly had to take a moment to collect myself before I said something unprofessional.

has anyone else had similar issues recently? Any stories of good? I'm sincerely hoping that this is an isolated incident, but it doesnt make me hopeful for the brand or for RPGs In general.

I've worked in hospital settings for almost 20 years.

Many doctors are dicks. It's plain and simple.

These are people who, for the most part, have grown up just like star athletes: being told they're the best at X Y Z, ect.. The difference is, it's only their family and teachers telling them these things.

The jocks in school still bullied them. So these nerdy doctors grow up to hate that part of themselves.

This guy probably played D&D years ago, or he was invited to by his friends and he turned it down to distance himself from the nerdiness.