how to convince people that D&D is not evil

Not the answer you're looking for, I'd imagine, but....

You don't need to justify your hobby to anyone. It's not hurting anyone, it's social and a relatively healthy use of your imagination & creativity, and is better than going out getting drunk or high or some crap like that.

So stand up for yourself--others are welcome to their opinions, and you're welcome to yours. And embrace your inner geek.....unless you secretly doubt whether this game is evil or not.
 

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Interesting story.

When I introduced the game to a friend of mine and her (many) siblings, her mother was concerned. So instead of going off the handle, she sat down and played with us. After making a character and playing for about an hour, she got up and left.

Not a good sign I thought.

So I stepped out to ask her if everything was ok. She said "Absolutely. You just introduced my kids to a game that encourages them to use teamwork, creative thinking, and math skills. And they were having fun doing it."
 

freebfrost said:
I thought that was the reason Gygax published OD&D... ;)

Seriously, did they think they could cast D&D spells?


not fireball and such. but other spells. it was part of their belief system.

i'm a christian and i don't worship the way they do/did so i can't tell you how it works.
 

Olaf the Stout said:
Note: I'm not trying to be dismissive of your beliefs Corvidae, you can believe whatever you want. I just find it difficult to believe that someone who has played D&D would actually think this.

It isn't so odd, so long as you get the order of operations right. If the desire to do the magic comes first, then any number of things that deal with the fantastic can be a gateway. D&D, a copy of Alistair Crowley, whatever. If the mind is in an extreme state, it doesn't need all that much of a framework on which to hang things together.
 

Olaf,
What I was meaning by a gateway is this,

many rpger's in my opinion become fascinated by mythology and the monsters and characters in mythology, and so look into it more deeply.

Some become fascinated with rules and math, and so delve more deeply into those aspects.

Some by specific fantasy worlds and delve deeply into those.

Some by history, crafts, art, painting etc.

It is not hard to think that some would be intrigued by real world rituals and magic, and would study these more deeply trying to find a way to really use them.

that is all I meant

John
 

faraer,

I see there is another adherent of "on fairy stories" out there,
I agree with you and with tolkien on that aspect, that an imagination full of well imagination, creativity, and questions is one of the most vital things needed in the world, and is a source of praise to the origin of imagination.

I was not sure where I had read the quote, but you brought it to light.

I highly recommend reading "on fairy stories" to anyone, even those not questioning fantasy.

Basically, it was JRR Tolkiens response to those who believed that fairy tales were little kids stuff.

John
 


diaglo said:
not fireball and such. but other spells. it was part of their belief system.
Ah, ok. That makes a bit more sense. So, more like modern-day Wiccans or the like.

That's a shame - I'd love to see a Fireball spell. :)
 


I have never encountered anyone who believed that D&D was evil, in a religious sense. I've run into one or two people who had heard the same sorts of stories about the game driving people to anti-social behaviour or suicide, but it was clear to me (at least in hindsight) that hearing stories about the crimes D&D "caused" (whether or not these crimes ever happened) was simply their only experience with the game - exactly the same as someone who's never been exposed to anime assuming that it's all stupid, overlong, melodramatic fight scenes like Dragonball Z.

As we all know, though, just because you show someone the truth about something it does not mean they are going to be interested in it or that they will approve of it. Anime is again a good example: I know it's not all childish garbage like Pokemon, but I've found other reasons why I have no time for it.

On the other hand, there are lots of things in this world I dislike - Nashville country music, Palladium games, fanfiction, home-improvement shows, romantic comedy films - and yet I don't crusade against them. I tolerate any interest my friends and family might have in such things while making it clear that I won't join them; I think gamers should strive to achieve that kind of acceptance from the people in their lives who question their hobby.

I don't know what your relationship with your parents is like, Corvidae, but if it's reasonably normal and healthy, you could talk to them about your younger brothers' interest in D&D from the standpoint of how playing the game since you were X years old hasn't ruined your life, hasn't torn you away from the religious and political values you presumably share with your parents, hasn't prevented you from growing up to be a happily-married adult leading a respectable life.

If you have any friends or relatives serving in the armed forces, you might write or call them and ask them if they know of any game groups where they're stationed. I doubt I could find the thread now - and perhaps it was lost in the forum crash in any case - but I remember a recent story about a soldier who was killed in Iraq who gamed. The photograph run in his hometown newspaper showed him gaming with some buddies from his unit. It's very likely that anyone you know in the service has heard about some kind of gaming group - there are even stories about how every nuclear submarine in service during the 1980s had a gaming group on board. I don't know if that's true or not.

If your parents like your wife and trust her judgement, you might ask her to help you talk to them about the game to ease their fears - if she knows of and accepts your hobby without sharing it, that might even be more helpful than enlisting the testimony of one of your gaming friends.

Finally, and you may well be planning to do this already, you could offer to help your younger brothers learn about the hobby by running games for them, so that they'll definitely be learning how to play from a responsible adult and not drifting on their own into a style of play that your parents would find objectionable.

I hope something I've written is of some use to you.
 

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