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Title: The Latest
Attack on RPGs in Sweden
Source: Björn Hellqvist
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It began with a grisly discovery on 30 December, 2002. A couple of
children found a severed head in a river in Halmstad, a town in southwestern
Sweden. The victim was soon identified as Marcus Norén, 22
years old, who had been last seen on the night between the 27th and 28th.
He was known as a pleasant guy with a well-ordered life, but the newspapers
found a dark secret... He had participated in Vampire: The Masquerade live-action
role-playing for years. The tabloid newspapers had a field day. The articles
and theories were centered on the speculation that the murder was part
of a game that went horribly wrong. It was understood that the murderer(s)
could be found among his friends. Experts of all stripes were interviewed,
and there were some who made claims that role-playing games can lead to
violent behaviour, and thought that they should be banned. People were
qouted out of context, and there are even claims that some quotes were
fabricated. One of the worst transgressions was the publication of a doctored
photo, where the victim had been made as to look like a classic Dracula
(because he had played a member of the Nosferatu clan in one campaign -
go figure!). The Swedish national association for role-players and other
gamers, Sverok, denied the claims that a game was to blame, and the local
police department didn't regard a game-related act as a likely cause of
death.
The murder case took an unexpected (to some) turn on 3 January, 2003.
Two men, 46 and 28 years old, were arrested, and parts of the victim were
found in the older man's apartment. They were both known as drug addicts
and for their violent behaviour, and it seems like they had met the victim
by chance, took a dislike to him (he was reported to have been dressed
in a long, black leather coat) and killed him on an impulse, probably by
the older man. The tabloids were caught out in the open, with new articles
on the "dangerous games" published the very same day. The family of the
victim had lost a son, but the bad guys got caught, the roleplayers came
clean, and the tabloids and their so-called experts lost whatever credibility
they still possessed. There will be other situations like this, trust me,
but we should spread good PR about our games in the meantime. That is a
good way of honouring the memory of a young man, who lost his life a cold,
dark winter night.
Reported by Björn Hellqvist, Sweden |
