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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sir Brennen" data-source="post: 4604486" data-attributes="member: 553">I dunno. 25 years ago I think you could have easily run across the same group of teenagers. "KILL KILL KILL" oddly isn't entirely incompatible with running a heroic game. As has been oft pointed out for decades, many people play the game simply to kill monsters and take their stuff. Usually this is done in the context (under the guise of?) performing heroic acts.For all these examples, there's plenty of examples of more "heroic" individuals in each area. Superman comics still sell rather well, I believe. What about the huge success of the Lord of the Rings movies? Batman has always been a vigilante for 80 years. Justice unfettered by the rule of law is a common fantasy in "heroic" fiction, especially in comics. And in RPGs. This is closely followed by revenge fantasies ("You wiped out my entire village! Prepare to die!"). People have been accepting of this brand of fantasy hero since stories were told about heroes. It's nothing new.I would say, though, that fictional heroes that have to overcome personal, internal challenges (the "tragic flaw" idiom) do tend to seem more human, sympathetic and just plan interesting. Plus, if the hero is a protagonist of a story, there has to be some room for growth of the character, which the squeeky clean LG types don't tend to leave a lot of room for, (unless they fall and/or are humbled). This is the point of the Hancock movie, for instance. It's not about a drunken, apathetic superhero. It's about a  drunken, apathetic super-powered character that grows into being a true hero. Just like Luke Skywalker having to overcome his fear and hatred, the story is about the personal challenges the hero has to overcome on his journey.Read some Joseph Campbell.</blockquote>

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