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Main > Archives > As BADD As It Gets
(Click the left page to go back, or the right page to go forward) Page 3 begins a collection of statements that are meant to condemn the game. Care should always be exercised with any quotes or statements provided by Pulling and anyone involved with her - she was infamous for mutilating quotes to serve her purposes. (Here's a classic example.) Page 3 JOHN ERIC HOLMES - Holmes, a staff physician at Los Angeles County Hospital and associate professor of neurology at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, was also the editor of the Basic D&D rulebook. The quote attributed to him here comes from an article entitled Confessions of a Dungeon Master that appeared on page 84 of Psychology Today in November of 1980 (a PDF of the article can be downloaded here). The article focuses on the personalities that players bestow upon the characters that they play in Dungeons & Dragons, and the way those character portrayals change as the player grows older. The activity described here refers to the playing style of Holmes and his gaming group, which as the article clarifies, are mostly adults, many of them doctors, nurses, or graduate students. While it seems clear that their games included scenes of rape and arson, it has been stated before that these acts are not covered, condoned, or encouraged by the rules of the game. The fact that some people add them does not make the game a promotion of these activities. It is unclear why the parenthetical text refers to Page 9 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, as Holmes had nothing to do with that book, and that page is actually the first half of Gygax's introduction to the DMG. The reference to page 31 directly after it is also odd, as that page in the DMG is about hirelings. Likewise, pages 9 and 31 of the basic D&D rulebook (the one Holmes edited) are unrelated to this topic. This may have just been a simple editing glitch. DR. THOMAS
RADECKI - It's true that many games of D&D
involve "armed violence," but if those are the only games he has ever
witnessed, then it's a shame he didn't get to see more than a handful.
Gamers know that a good session of any RPG can include much in the way
of drama, storytelling, and intrigue.
MARGARET BOCEK - Citations of these studies, or even a mention of what they were studying, what methods were used, and what experts were involved, would have been helpful here. Merely looking at something and deciding that you don't like it doesn't count as a 'study.' For some actual studies on the effects and benefits of roleplaying games - ones performed by actual experts, using actual methods of study - visit the studies page. MITCHELL RUPE - Rupe was a bank robber convicted for the murder of two bank tellers, who was sentenced to death by hanging, but was able to avoid his punishment due to his large size. His defense never seemed to mention "losing touch with reality" through playing D&D - but if it did, it appears to have failed (as the "D&D defense" always does). How this "losing touch with reality" is connected to his bank robbery is a mystery. MARIA PIERS - I'm not sure how this quote is supposed to support B.A.D.D.'s case. Unless I'm reading it incorrectly, it seems to be saying that imaginary violence is good, but real violence is unacceptable, something that most everyone can agree on. (And for the record, her book is titled "The Gift of Play.") DEBORAH FAULHAMMER - As mentioned on the previous page, Collins did not committ suicide, but killed himself in a tragic accident. That he may have taken his hobby too seriously (and engaged in some typical teenage hyperdrama) is no reason to connect the game to his death. Page 4 DR. GARY NORTH - Typical fearmongering here. There is no evidence to suggest that D&D and other RPGs are 'carefully researched' introductions to the occult. If they were, the magic system would be more like Wiccan traditions, and less like Lord of the Rings. As for federal grants to specifically promote roleplaying games in schools - I have never seen any evidence of this. While this is just another example of North's fearmongering, it's a rare example of an anti-roleplaying myth that I wish was a reality. Grant-funded RPGs in schools would build a lot of friendships, keep a lot of kids out of trouble, and introduce a lot of new members to a fantastic hobby. JOHN
TUCKER - It's not clear what Professor Tucker means by
'taking
the normal and making it abnormal' in this context - playing RPGs is
very close to childhood games of make-believe, telling stories, and
character acting, all three of which are very normal, natural
activities that people participate in all over the world. The
second part of his statement does not seem to refer to RPGs directly,
and is likely taken out of context.
ROBERT LANDA - Mr. Landa's credentials don't seem to include anything to do with psychology, so his 'research' is questionable, and none of his percieved 'adverse effects' are listed for us to consider. I have attempted to contact Mr. Landa for an interview, but have met with no success. KELLY (SIC) JEAN POPPLETON - (Proper spelling is "Kellie.") Kellie Jean Poppleton's murder was never solved. While she may have enjoyed experimenting with playing D&D while under the influence of drugs, that neither contributed to her death, nor makes a case against the game. Many other drug addicts watch television or go to the movies, paint pictures, or even write stories while under the influence.
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