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Main | FAQ | CAR-PGa | Advocacy | Letters | Resources | Links | E-mail Bill The Myths About RPGsLea este artículo en español: Haga clic aquí This list is by no means complete; as long as there are people who do not understand the hobby, there will be myths about it. That's your cue... if you know of a gaming or D&D-specific myth that I have mythed (sorry...) drop me a line! Player and Character Are The Same: A player is a real person; a character is the role that the player plays in the game. All of the actions that the character makes, all of the items that they possess, even the characters themselves are imaginary, and do not exist in the real world. This is possibly the most frequent mistake that people make about RPGs. It is terribly ironic when a news story accuses gamers of confusing fantasy with reality, while exhibiting much of the same confusion all on its own. RPGs Teach Their Players How To Cast Spells: RPGs often have a system of magic involved, and it is usually a form of fantastical magic, far-flung from anything found in witchcraft or the occult. There are some RPGs that have been designed to have a more "real-world" feel to them, and the authors have used actual occultic sources as their framework; nevertheless, one cannot learn how to cast spells by playing a role-playing game, any more than they can learn to swing a sword or ride a horse. The magic used in RPGs is entirely "make-believe," it exists only in the game world, and NEVER causes any effects in the real world. It is NEVER directed at real people, and any claims to the contrary are FALSE. While many RPGs have some form of magic system, many others do not, especially the plethora of science fiction RPGs. There Are Winners And Losers: Or, for that matter, that RPGs share the same qualities that most of the games that preceded them do. Unlike other forms of games, RPGs do not usually have clearly defined winners and losers; rather, they are much more of an exercise in team effort. Confusion in this area is often proof that no real research into RPGs has been done. RPGs Glorify Violence: While combat does exist in most RPGs, it is never promoted as the answer to everything. Conflict is a large part of our history, and RPGs reflect that. But there is much, much more to the hobby than simple hack and slash... if that were not true, there would certainly not be as many gaming books on the shelves as there are! There are books on other cultures, people, races, and traditions, all of which are interacted with in any number of ways, only one of which is combat. If AD&D (for example) was the roleplaying equivalent of Quake (for example), it would fit rather neatly into one 100-page rulebook. For the record, it doesn't. RPGs Promote Obsessive Behavior: It's strange that a devout sports fan who can talk about little more than football scores isn't considered "obsessive" by most people, yet a gamer who plays once a week is. Any pastime holds the potential to do what it does all too well: pass time. A person who spends a lot of time playing RPGs is simply a person who would spend a lot of time doing something else if games were not a part of the equation. Personal responsibility and maturity are the true focus here. Gaming is no more of an obsessive hobby than any other, it just involves more brain power than most. Perhaps this is what a lot of the critics fear. RPGs Create Criminals: In many circumstances, games have been blamed for causing "seemingly normal" people to commit crimes that they would never have dreamed of had they not been exposed to RPGs. This is a preposterous notion to those of us who understand RPGs, but to many, it seems very possible in the light of all of the myths that are held as truth about games. The truth is, according to the CAR-PGa, that all media accounts of crimes committed "in the name of gaming" had many other, more understandable factors involved. The real story here is that "Abused Child Kills Parents" does not sell quite as many newspapers and magazines as "Game Taught Child To Kill." RPGs Promote Suicide: Whether by causing severe depression over the loss of a character, or as some demented way to start their life over again at the beginning, RPGs have been accused of being a possible cause of suicide among their players. The Center for Disease Control, Department of Suicidology, and Albert Einstein University feel different about the matter, however; all three have done extensive research on RPGs and found no connection between gaming and suicide. The experts have spoken. Also, as mentioned above, the CAR-PGa has researched all of the "gaming related suicides" on the record, and found extenuating circumstances in every one. Again, it comes down to what sells more papers or keeps the public tuned in through the commercial break. It bears noting that the isolated incidents in which gamers have committed suicide are usually misinterpreted by the uninformed to make it appear as if gaming causes people to take their own lives. By their own figures, the suicide rate among people who play RPGs would be much lower than the average for any other group of people. Therefore, uninformed really isn't that harsh of a title.
The Myths About Dungeons & DragonsKeep in mind that any of the above myths apply equally as well to D&D, as it is the granddaddy of all RPGs. Likewise, some of these myths could have been applied to other RPGs that are similar to D&D in certain ways. D&D Was Created By Satanists: Usually, this is an attempt to make D&D look like a tool for Satanists or occultists to gather new members. The truth is that the co-authors of the original D&D game were Gary Gygax and David Arneson, who are Jehovah's Witness and Born-Again Christian, respectively. The Dungeon Master's Guide Contains A Procedure For Selling Your Soul To The Devil: While not the most common myth, I have heard it more than once. And I have combed all editions and printings of the DM's Guide and Player's Handbook and found nothing of the sort. Can anyone help me out here? What could they be talking about? D&D Manuals Contain Demons and Devils For The Players To Worship: This myth is only half right. While it is true that the earlier edition of AD&D contained several types of demons and devils in it's Monster Manual, they were listed as opponents, along with most of the other creatures in the Manual. When TSR released the second edition to D&D in the early 90's, they removed the demons and devils and replaced them with other creatures, in an attempt to keep everyone happy. So, demons and devils have been absent from D&D for nearly a decade now. Also: players do not worship any of the things found in a D&D manual; it's the characters that may (See the myth Player And Character Are The Same, above), and they are not given the option of worshipping either demons or devils. Addendum: TSR has recently announced that demons and devils will be returning to the game when the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons is released in August of 2000. In the November 1999 issue of InQuest Gamer, TSR brand manager Ryan Dancey referred to them as the "ultimate bad guys," and said in "all materials ever produced for the game, they are portrayed as opponents to be overcome, if not killed outright." People Act Out The Roles Of Arsonists, Rapists, and Torturers While Playing D&D: This first came to me from a copy of the Jehovah Witness magazine The Watchtower back in 1983, and since then, I've heard it repeated several times. The truth is, there are no rules for arson, rape, or torture among the manuals for D&D, so therefore, these acts are not promoted by the game. However, it is certainly possible for a character to perform these actions if the player wishes so. Therefore, technically, it can happen; however, anyone who actively chooses to do these things, and seems to be enjoying it, really needs to seek help. It is a sign of deeper problems. D&D Manuals Contain False Gods For The Players To Worship: Again, this one is only half right. There are deities for the characters to serve in certain D&D books (Deities & Demigods, and the latter revision Legends And Lore, as well as others), but these are for the characters to serve, not the players. (See the myth Player And Character Are The Same, above). No one has to do anything special in the real world for a deity that their character serves in the game. That's just silly. Also: no character has to serve a deity. The deity manuals are actually optional supplements; deities are hardly even mentioned in the core rulebooks, which shows how important they really are to gameplay. D&D Has A Manual That Contains Graphically Violent Rules For Combat: Actually, there was a book called The Arduin Grimoire that contained charts that were supposed to make medieval combat more "realistic." These charts contained bloody descriptions of body parts being torn off or crushed. But, it wasn't an official D&D product, and was not recognized by TSR as such. The combat used in D&D and AD&D is much more "heroic" and unrealistic, because it is meant to recreate tales of heroic fantasy, not the first half hour of Saving Private Ryan. D&D Causes Kids To Hide Out In Steam Tunnels / Sewage Systems And Act Out The Game: This is probably the first myth I had ever heard about D&D. This comes from the tale of James Dallas Egbert, who hid in the steam tunnels beneath his university and attempted (and failed) to commit suicide with a drug overdose. There is no evidence that he went down there to play D&D, as there was no one with him, and he didn't have any dice or books. Plus, he admitted his intentions to the media. Despite that, investigator William Dear, chose to print the gaming angle, partially in an attempt to protect both Dear and his family members from the truth about his homosexuality and drug abuse. In reality, most of us would rather sit around a table and enjoy the game, rather than get all hot and sweaty in an underground tunnel...
William J. Walton Contributors: Spencer Lease This document is a work in progress, and is in no way complete as you see it here. If I have left something out, or missed an important point, it is imperitave that you, the reader, bring it to my attention. All contributors will receive credit for their contributions at the end of the document. Main | FAQ | CAR-PGa | Advocacy | Letters | Resources | Links | E-mail Bill
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