Is D&D good?

[Narfellus]

D&D

What a great thread. I just have to add my opinion. Is D&D evil? No, i don't think so, but i can see why many factions/families might believe otherwise. I started with roleplaying games near the beginning. From an early early age i was brought up on the ideas and imaginations of vastly smarter and creative adults who filled my little brain with ideas of outer planes, magic, and diabolical devils.

Here is what D&D promotes: fun with friends; unparalleled freedom of imagination; art and writing and creation in spoken and written form; communication, laughter, comraderie, tolerance and patience.

Here is what it can also promote: paganism, violence, and alternate realities. Now, these last three things are what get most naysayers the most worked up, and it is where they concentrate. D&D DOES open up the idea of gods, deities, devil worship (even if ficticious) magic, torture, blood, violence and evil on small scale and world scale. Even though the definition of "evil" is based on society. Roleplaying games open up worlds that many young people might not otherwise find. They read these things long, long before they have come to their own definitions of themselves and the world around them. Thus they can be highly impressionable.

Is this D&D's fault? Does the game open vistas of war, violence, pain and death for our entertainment? In ways, yes it does, there is no denying it. But considering that our entire culture is steeped in sex/violence, D&D pales in comparison to other venues. But D&D is not ABOUT violence, that is only an aspect of it.

As other posters have mentioned, anything is open to abuse. Overindulgence in food, sex, alcohol, ROLEPLAYING, can create an imbalance in ones life. D&D has the added perk of filling ones mind chock full of the most arcane ideas possible, ones that challenge the meaning of our purpose. Grab any game related planes/religions book and you'll get an earful of religious/metaphysical gopply goop that will make your head spin. D&D has mined our current pathos for every single shred of roleplaying material it can possibly salvage. Over the past 30 years the game has touched EVERYTHING from Greek myth or Crowley to the Astral Plane and beyond. I've probably learned more from roleplaying supplements than any other single source.

I suppose the problems come when people absorb so much material that it can literally blow your mind. You read something enough times and you'll believe it, and there are people out that who might be mentally unstable or impressionable and such games can lead them to extremes. But that is not the games fault, just an unfortunate side effect.

So that's all.

 

[Dirigible]

D&D is certainly not good. I've been playing for 10 years, and my High Priestess... I mean Game Master has yet to offer to teach me The Real Magic.

What a rip.

 

[D+1]

Brief commentary on drugs, etc. The guy who introduced D&D to me, my best friend for years, did, and still does drugs, marijuana almost exclusively I believe. He now games with others who smoke marijuana simply because we no longer live in the same state to game together. My younger brother, who I introduced to the game, years after first playing, became addicted to cocaine and took other drugs, went through rehab twice before kicking the addiction.

Their drug problems were and are utterly irrelevant to D&D, just as depression, suicide, religious devotion, religious affiliation are virtually always irrelevant to DND. One possible connection between religious/philosophical belief and DND would be that I seem to see more neo-pagans, Wiccans, etc. in the hobby than anywhere else but I sincerely doubt that's a causal relationship. They are attracted to D&D, D&D does not direct them to it. I have also seen committed christians playing D&D in numbers that seem to otherwise coincide to the population, and it may even be a disproportionate number of founders and influential writers and artists within the industry that are devoutly religious. But that's just personal observation.

We all laugh about that line from the X-files episode where a character says, "I didn't play D&D all those years and not learn something about [bravery/honor]." I forget the exact quote now. But taken at face value it's ACCURATE in what it suggests.

 

[Dr. Harry]

Here is what D&D promotes: fun with friends; unparalleled freedom of imagination; art and writing and creation in spoken and written form; communication, laughter, comraderie, tolerance and patience.

Here is what it can also promote: paganism, violence, and alternate realities. Now, these last three things are what get most naysayers the most worked up, and it is where they concentrate. D&D DOES open up the idea of gods, deities, devil worship (even if ficticious) magic, torture, blood, violence and evil on small scale and world scale. Even though the definition of "evil" is based on society. Roleplaying games open up worlds that many young people might not otherwise find. They read these things long, long before they have come to their own definitions of themselves and the world around them. Thus they can be highly impressionable.

I would also like to thank the original poster for starting what has become a quite enjoyable thread, before I respond to Narfellus.

I began playing in the early 1980's in the American Southeast, so I did run into a few of these questions myself, though I was fortunate in that the majority of those who considered gaming as "Eeee-vil" also considered my denomination of Christianity as "eee-vil" as well, so I didn't have that much of a problem.

My response, when it did come up, was that in D&D since the beasties and forces were clearly labeled as the bad guys, the players had their characters fight and defeat them. To steal a thought from C. S. Lewis, moral faculties are like muscles, one must use them if you want them to be strong when you need them, so the more time the players spend in a game that has the "fighting the good fight", the more likely they are to put the consciences into practice.

The one exception to all this being magic; if one believes that there is such a thing as "real magic" then D&D could be seen as bad.

 

[Torm]

I fear I'm treading close to the line of discussing religion, but I couldn't let your comment about belief in "real magic" being bad pass without a little clarification. A belief in "real magic" is a valid part of many world religions - even the word "gospel" is a corruption of "godspell". IMHO, the belief in Hollywood-style magic, or D&D style magic, is the dangerous part.

I highly recommend the book "True Magick" by Amber K. It's a quick read, and provides an excellent insight into people who believe in Magick. If nothing else, it might give you something to think about next time you're roleplaying or DMing a Cleric or Wizard.

(I don't want anyone thinking I'm trying to push religious literature - I picked that book because it isn't preachy - it reads more like one of those "Dummies" books, actually, but like it was written by someone who knows their stuff - unlike the "Dummies" book on the subject, unfortunately. And I also always recommend reading the the Bible, Koran, Talmud, the Satanic Bible, the Book of Mormon, etc. - for the same reason. Insight into the rest of mankind is always valuable - as a roleplaying tool and otherwise.)

If anyone is offended by this post, I apologize deeply. I realize I'm walking the edge. But when the thread is called "Is D&D Good?", and "good", as a word, is a form of the word "god", its bound to go close to the line a little.I can only trust from what I've seen so far on the board that people who can have calm, rational discussions about the benefits of having characters be followers of Bane can stand a wee little bit of purely informational discussion such as my comments above.

In other words, I've got faith in y'all.

P.S. Thanks again to all for their kind words the last few days. I'm feeling much better now.

 

[Virtue]

Plenty of Good in DnD

D&D has been one of the best things in my life for accademics i started playing when i was about 10. i was a strugling student who didnt enjoy reading. My brother showed me this great game that was D&D and i have been playing ever since when i was in highschool as a freshmen i was reading on above a 12th grade level because of all my reading i did while playing this great game.
Because of this great game i found my 4 best freinds and me and my brother see each other every weekend.
If you are looking for more good info there is an article that was on this webpage from the bbc that talked about D&DS 30th aniversery and it was a great positive article.
hope this helps
GFL Out (Gamer For Life)

 

[Bendris Noulg]

I fear I'm treading close to the line of discussing religion, but I couldn't let your comment about belief in "real magic" being bad pass without a little clarification. A belief in "real magic" is a valid part of many world religions - even the word "gospel" is a corruption of "godspell".

Very true. Sunday morning mass is very ritualistic in its arraingement, timing, and calling of faith. Most people seem to think that going to church is simply sitting there listening to the service; few realize that they are active participants of an invocation.

 

[DragonLancer]

• Social Activity. Its gets my friends and I together, and away from the computer or playstation. It involves conversation and interaction.
• Maths. Playing RPG's has made me better with numbers and figures, quick calculation and percentages.
• Imagination. All too often in this day and age, we're told to stop daydreaming and get on with the job at hand. We need escapism, and RPG's are one of the best ways IMO.
• Co-operation. You don't get very far doing it all by yourself. You work with your team mates to accomplish the goals of the adventure/campaign.

 

[Agemegos]

A belief in "real magic" is a valid part of many world religions - even the word "gospel" is a corruption of "godspell".

Yes, but "godspell" in this case simply meant 'good news'.

 

[jerichothebard]

Who says you can't play D&D to the glory of God? ...You can do just about anything to the glory of God. Just about anything.

Indeed - my whole campaign was structured as a way, in part, to explore my own beliefs about god and the nature of the world - one god, no wizards, tough moral choices.

Is it still DND? Yes, of course.
Is it evil? No, I don't think so.


What have I learned? Without going drastically off-topic, and exceeding our forum's limits, I can say that I have thought about God and my relationship with Him (It), and advanced spiritually and philosophically - all as a result of this game.

How can that possibly be anything but good?




jtb