Citation

Jones S. Dissent 2022; 69(2): 11-14.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Foundation for the Study of Independent Social Ideas)

DOI

10.1353/dss.2022.0048

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In 1990, the Christian author James Dobson issued a grave warning about "socalled fantasy roleplaying games." They masquerade as simple creative exercises for children, but "the fact is, in order to play these games properly, you usually have to use magic and mysticism, things that are clearly not Christian," he said dolefully. Some former players even said the game had led them into contact with demons, he asserted. Dobson, the founder of the influential organization Focus on the Family, didn't mention any particular game by name. He didn't have to: by the time his warning was broadcast, Dungeons & Dragons, a tabletop roleplaying game that starred elves, orcs, and other fantasy beings, had become synonymous with the "Satanic Panic" that had gripped the public imagination for the better part of a decade. If anything, Dobson's warning arrived a little late. The game had malevolent power, evangelist Jack Chick insisted in a famous 1984 tract: it led to suicides and, even worse, goddess worship © 2022, Dissent.All Rights Reserved.

Language: en