how to convince people that D&D is not evil

[Hammerforge]

As a conservative Christian myself, and an avid roleplayer (D&D and other RPGs) for a long time, I can think of three aspects of D&D that probably bother conservative Christians the most:

1) A pantheon of pagan-like gods;
2) demons;
3) magic/sorcery.

There may be others depending on the individual, but I think those are the three biggies.

So what's the solution?

Play d20 Modern. I can almost hear the conversation now:

"Hey, what's that you're playing?"
"Oh, it's a game called d20 Modern. We're playing a group of undercover law enforcement officers who are on the trail of a major drug ring in the city."
"Oh, great. Have fun, then."

But if you're not willing to go that route, one argument that I think is very effective (as long as the people you're speaking with are reasonable and willing to be objective about this) is as follows. Ask them any or all of these questions: "Was the actor who played Judas Iscariot engaging in an evil act when he played the role of an evil man who betrayed Jesus? Was Johnny Depp guilty of following evil when he played the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, a dishonest killer? Was Anthony Hopkins doing anything wrong when he played Hannibal the Cannibal?" And on it goes, with as many examples as you can think of from movies they are familiar with.

 

[Halivar]

I agree with you, Hammerforge. In the end, the game is exactly what you make it. If people have problems with the "occult" elements, they can be removed. We call that "homebrew," and it works for tons of people.

Of course, I would point out that JRR Tolkien, a devout Christian, had no problem using a "pagan" cosmology. Nevertheless, the underlying concepts of the nature of good versus evil still reflect his Christian worldeview without impediment. And, though it be allegorical, CS Lewis did the same for the Narnia Chronicles (which even had magic and violence, oh my!). It's entirely possible to use a complete fantasy world (even featuring a pantheon) without sacrificing your moral presuppositions.

 

[Thanee]

People fear what they do not understand. It's just natural.

Bye
Thanee

 

[grodog]

I have numerous friends and family who either completely do not understand rpg's or are convinced they are evil. I have hidden my hobby for years, but I want to be able to rationally say this is not evil, and I don't want to use the it is just a game argument, cause it seems like such a cop out.

Two good industry resources for handling this appear on the GAMA web site: the Industry Watch team @ http://www.gama.org/committees/industry_watch (who respond to negative perception of rpg's in the media, and testify in court as expert witnesses when necessary), and the Games in Education committee @ http://www.gama.org/programs/gie which helps teachers use games in the classroom.

 

[grodog]

You live in Kansas, one of the most religiously conservative states in the nation. If you do don't go to church all day Sunday and Wednesday nights you'll be labelled a satanist!

Seriously, sometimes you can't convince people. Take my mother-in-law, please. She had a former student who robbed and killed a couple back in the late 1980s. He played D&D, so this came up as one of the mittigating factors to the jury. He's still rotting in prison and there's no convincing her that D&D is nothing but a quick road to ruin.

I love her dearly, but its just a conversation that neither of us will have because we're both polite people. I know how she feels because I've heard it second hand from my wife.

Dude, you live in Texas, I'm surprised he didn't get the death penalty based on D&D alone

Seriously, cases like this are why the Industry Watch Committee in GAMA monitors the media, and helps to show that D&D is not evidence of anything criminal/evil/psychologically bad/etc.

 

[tombshroud]

Thanks for the latitude Rel,
I will try and keep it more tolerable
Come on guys, this is a good thread, it has humor, advice (mostly on where to find jolt) and may be helpful to someone out there.

Let's not get it nuked.

no generalizations
period

John

And any thing that lets me know where to get jolt cola can not be evil - it's JOLT COLA!!

By the by - thanks to all those who showed me were to get it!