Zippanthropus wrote:I also remember that Dallas Egbert wanted to write computer programs, but his mom would not let him. She thought that it was a waste of time. It is not hard to imagine that if this boy was alive today he would be one of those computer gurus who made megabucks from the late 1980's and 1990's.
Prufrock wrote:Back in the day (very early eighties) one of those roving preachers was scheduled to speak at a local church. The topic "The evils of Dungeons and Dragons". Well myself and a bunch of other players decided to attend. You guys should have seen this guy. He's not a local preacher just one of these guys the churches bring to give speeches on topics. He was fat and slick if you know what I mean. Well he roused the crowd up something fierce. The crowd was mostly women who had sons who played the game. He got them crying and swinging their arms and all bedazzled. That's when they passed the plate, of course. He maintained that 'thinking the way you have to to play this game allows demons to enter your head'. He said role playing allow the demons to get a grip on your soul. At the end of the speech, when he has the crowd the most woundup he asks all of them to come up and "touch him and be filled with the glory of God". I could not hold back any longer and just flat out broke out laughing. My friends are trying to get me to "be respectful", but I'm sixteen and anything but respectful.His use of this disturbance was masterful. He pointed to me and said "that young man there is an example of what the demons can do." :twisted: Well now here we go - he and I go at it. I'm asking him if he will give another speech about con men that come into church whip up the people and then pass the plate. Then I ask him how much he collected tonight. He counters wonderfully by having the crying ladies circle me and pray saying this will help "RELEASE THE DEMON INSIDE OF HIM". So all of a sudden I'm encircled by roused up women holding their hands high in the air and saying prayers. Well I decide its time to leave and very carefully weave my way thru the circle and out the door.I know I did no good for Dungeons and Dragons but I was sixteen and standing up for myself like that really helped me in the transition to a man.Every now then when I see those friends we always talk about the night I was "Exorcised".Great TimesMartin
Badmike wrote:MrFilthyIke wrote:"dumb like a moose, Dib, dumb like a moose" Everything is relative, every era will have their boogeyman that prevents kids from living a normal life (Rock Music, Drugs, Long Hair, D&D, Heavy Metal Music, Violent R-Rated Movies, Video games, Internet, etc). I'm going to be going through the same thing several years from now...what exactly do you say when your kid wants to play Grand Theft Auto San Andreas? I don't think any kid under the age of 17 should have this in the house, am I just like the parents of the 80's? I don't think so, since al the speculation about devil worship and mind control via D&D was just that, speculation. Whereas in Grand Theft Auto you can actually run over a bystander, carjack a hot rod, shoot a cop in the head, or beat your girlfriend to death and see the results in living color on the TV screen. Never was D&D so viscereal an experience when we were younger, that is unless you were dressing up in full plate, swinging a longsword and beheading the family cat.... Speaking of which, if you had given several 80's era mothers the choice between letting their kids play D&D or bringing Grand Theft Auto back in a time machine and setting kids down in front of a TV with controllers, is there even any question? Like I said, it's all relative. Our parents protests to D&D seem laughable now, whatever protests we make to our kids will probably seem laughable to today's kids in 20 years.Mike B.
MrFilthyIke wrote:"dumb like a moose, Dib, dumb like a moose"
MShipley88 wrote:Just something to consider on this topic strand.... When you think back to some of the hysteria and misinformation about RPG's of the day, try turning the scope on yourself. We are all roughly the same age and income level, very similar education and mostly male (sorry ladies, you count too). I would also wager that most of us are the same caucasian race, or something close to it (culturally speaking). What prejudices and misconceptions do we harbor? What notions do we have in our heads...cultural/religious, social/political and whatever else...that people will laugh about in 25 years? (Role-playing games do not count...people laugh at that already.)Mark. :?