RPG's: More Evil Then Ever? (OT)

[Mofo Rising]

Well, we weathered the storm that Dungeons & Dragons wreaked on the impressionable youth of America, but Satan has conspired to bring us another strain of the terrible virus of "role-playing games".  I am speaking, of course, of Vampire: The Masquerade, and it's other unholy bretheren.  Did you know that these "White Wolf" games are ten times more potent than crack cocaine?

As I write this, DATELINE is showing a special about a father who killed his wife and kids and was interested in these games.  Or perhaps it was some role-playing teens who killed his family.  I'm not sure, I didn't stick around to watch the journalistic hack job being performed.  I thought blaming tragedy on role playing Satanists went out of style over 20 years ago.

Now, I've always admired the world that the White Wolf games had concocted.  It's a fun mix of monsters, history and philosophy.  However, dressing up and acting like a vampire/werewolf/mage/ghost/faerie has always been a bit (okay a lot) sillier than I've been prepared to go.  But playing the drama dweeb bit in the park is hardly the worst thing one can do.

But in the interest of villifying an extremely marginal subculture, "respected news show" DATELINE has stepped up to the plate.  Way to go DATELINE.  Now when are you going to do that bit about collectible card games?

[Will]

It's always been my opinion that RPG use should be taught in sex ed classes, because nothing will help you stay abstinent more than playing RPG's. Of course, you may not WANT to be abstinent, but if you play RPG's, use terms like "RPG" in conversation, etc., you will be.

[Cullen]

Will, dude, you have no idea what you're talking about.  Trust me.

[Chopper]

The media is always looking for stories to divert our attention from the REAL news in this world. if it's not the latest fall of coby, it's some celeberity kiling his wife, or some other bulls**t that happens every day to normal-non famous people. to divert our attention they have to find stories like these to make everyone paranoid, resulting in the media finding enemies for us. if it's not roleplaying kids, it's goths (people that like Bauhaus are so evil!!!), or it's single mothers on welfare (yeah gotta watch out for them, i saw a violent gang of 'em breaking into my car the other day!). maybe one day the media will really do it's job and report what's really going on in the world, because unfortunately there's still a lot of slavery and genocide that people don't know about. and sadly the people that work around the clock to fight for human rights go unheard of while images of Coby and sprite continously play.

[Chopper]

LoL!

[raj]

Of course rocket propelled grenades are vicious.

Oh, wait, the other RPG.  Well, David Koresh took the Bible and twisted it to fit his own aims.  If you've got folk who're disposed to doing something bad, they're going to latch onto something, whatever it is, to suit their aims.  Get rid of RPGs and maybe instead they'll latch onto books (look at all the devoted fans Anne Rice has) or movies or whatever else falls into their laps.

[Flangepart]

RPG's, books, movies, T.V........
All are just means of communication.
Its content and the effects of that content that matter, not the particular means of getting the idea across.
Comics, for example.
I like them, but i'm choosey. I don't buy just any. Except for "Astro city", superhero comics bore me.
But...while i understand why most people don't think comics are "respectable", i've seen well told stories, and therefor know its possable to tell an "Adult" story. When you read a tale by, say, Will Eisner, your gonna get a good story.  His best Spirit stories are classics, i think.
His definition of comics are "Sequensial graphics" is a good one.
Combineing words and pictures is a particular means of communication. But, it still depends  on how you use the medium, and what...story...your telling.
Lets let the news media know....they are just as capable of "Bad influances" as any other media.

[JohnL]

>Well, we weathered the storm that Dungeons & Dragons wreaked on the
>impressionable youth of America, but Satan has conspired to bring us another
>strain of the terrible virus of "role-playing games". I am speaking, of course, of
>Vampire: The Masquerade, and it's other unholy bretheren. Did you know that
>these "White Wolf" games are ten times more potent than crack cocaine?

Wait a minute, you mean video games are no longer to blame for all society's ills???

[dean]

its always either video games or the media, no one can take responsibility for their own actions, and those who are influenced that greatly by these things are unstable to begin with.

i remember a guy down here in australia, shot a bunch of people, and the police found various horror films and such in his house.  therefore it was the horror films that caused his behaviour.  he also had snow white in there, but that didn't make him go give beautiful maidens poison apples now did it?

[Neville]

Not again! I thought the idea to blame people whose interests you don't share for all the sins of the world was over. In Spain, role players had to take a lot of abuse from the media because some nutso Lecter wannabe killed somebody and then said it was all part of that RPG he had designed. Of course, "creative" news instantly preyed on the subject portraying ALL role players as sick people. After some years and a  couple of silly TV movies, I thought it was over.

Know what? If I ever happen to kill anybody and I can't say it was self-defense, i'll tell everybody the news made me do it.

[The Burgomaster]

The problem is that the news focuses on what it CHOSES to focus on.  If ONE murderer happens to be a player of RPGs, then reporters make the connection that the RPG was somehow responsible (at least partially) for the murder.  What the reporter ignores is the fact that there were hundreds, maybe thousands, of other murders and violent crimes across this great land (or world) of ours on that VERY SAME DAY that were NOT committed by people who play RPGs.

The same thing happens when someone commits a murder and people blame violence on television or in the movies.  Forget about all the other factors that were involved. Just blame it on Hollywood.

I would like to see a complete profile of the father who killed his wife and kids.  What was his childhood like? Where did he live? Where did he work? What were his OTHER hobbies besides RPGs? Until you analyze all of this, how can you focus exclusively on RPGs as contributors to murder?

Just to give you some background on myself, I played RPGs like D&D, Top Secret and Traveler when I was in my teens and into my early 20s.  I wasn't CONSUMED by them.  I would probably play about once a week (at the most) and I'd go through stretches of two or three months when I wouldn't play at all.  To date, I haven't killed anyone, and I am not personally acquainted with anyone who played RPGs and then decided to wipe out their entire family.

In the case of the guy on DATELINE, I'd say that a temporary or permanent psychological imbalance had a lot more to do with the murders than how ofetn he rolled 20-sided dice.



Post Edited (11-02-03 11:47)

[Will]

"Author: Cullen (---.client.mchsi.com)
Date:   11-01-03 09:57

Will, dude, you have no idea what you're talking about. Trust me."

hahaha, roll the d20 to see if you're big pimpin' on the serving wench.

Cullen, dude, I was only making a joke.  Having played every saturday morning in the back room of a comic shop from the time I was 11 until 16, I think I do know what I'm talking about, though.  Those guys couldn't get lay'd in Hawaii. (get it? Lay'd? hahahaha, I kill me).



Post Edited (11-03-03 11:01)

[Cullen]

I hope I didn't sound any less than good natured in my response.  It wasn't my intention to be otherwise.

However, my brother's been gaming for several years, and has had no problems in that direction.  Nor have his friends (one of which is married).

[Lee]

Those so called reporters on DATELINE are stupid. I know plenty of people who play RPG's. They're some of the coolest and funniest people I know. They're a little odd sometimes(which isn't necceassarily a bad thing) but they are good people.

P.S. I'm not trying to say playing RPG's makes you weird, I was just pointing out that these guys are.

[Andrew]

I play RPG's and have never really had a problem interacting with people.  In fact, I seem to be a raging extrovert.

And, yes, I am pretty much a geek.  However, I am a Marine geek, with a wife, in shape, and with a range of hobbies from movies to paintball to woodworking - a weird entity.