Title: Chicago Tribune Letters to the Editor

Source: Chicago Tribune, February 16th, 1985

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Dungeons & Dragons And Its `Dangers`
February 16, 1985
By Doug Newcomb.

Your Jan. 27 article on Dungeons & Dragons and its effect on the young mind seems to imply that the game seduces young people into a lack of regard for human life that leads to mass murder and suicide. 

I strongly disagree with this concept because of the six years` experience that I have in playing Dungeons & Dragons. In that time, the worst display of abnormal behavior that I ever encountered was one gentleman who was attempting to monetarily bribe the other players in order to enhance his character`s position in the game. Such actions are extremely rare and are results of personal problems acquired outside of the game which would manifest themselves whether the young person plays Dungeons & Dragons, checkers or basketball.

A Defense Of Dungeons & Dragons
February 16, 1985
By David Silvian.

Your article entitled ``A fantasy game turns into a deadly reality`` on Jan. 27 was a biased, error-filled, sensationalistic piece of trash.

Howard Witt and his editors obviously made no attempt to verify the ``facts`` in the article. Anyone with any experience with the Dungeons & Dragons game would know, for example, that there is no such thing as an ``insanity curse,`` nor does it supply the means to ``dabble in the occult.`` He would also know that the demons ``from the game`` are almost all from earthly myths. Furthermore, the pathetic attempt to supply the other side of the story was tiny and hidden in the overwhelming testimony against the game.

Using Mr. Witt`s logic, reading fairy tales should cause children to kill themselves for fear of being baked in ovens by witches or eaten by wolves. Dungeons & Dragons, no matter how complex, is still fantasy, and any person who is sane to begin with realizes this. Those who are crazy will inevitably do crazy things, and if these things include mistaking fantasy for reality, it`s the fault of nothing but their own crazed minds.

Mr. Witt and the editors of The Tribune should be taught the meaning of the phrases ``verification of facts`` and ``unbiased reporting,`` and how to apply them.