Pros and Cons of Gaming

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Jo Anne,

You're welcome! When you're done with the assignment, come on back and join in the discussions here, if you'd like. I invite you especially to check out my articles, using the link at the top of the page (he said modestly). Also, let us know how the assignment goes, and how the professor and the rest of the class respond to it.

No more procrastinating, though, OK?

Best,
Ron

[J B Bell]

I'll give you a quote for your con side right now, so you can have a reasonably coherent and informed one:

When someone allows the influence of FRPGs to have too much of an influence on their mind, and the games begin to alter their perception of the real world, these individuals may become more involved in occult activities, illegal drugs, deviant sex practices (look at any FRPG convention for examples of this), and even violent criminal activity, as the average FRPG not only mentions all of these, but even promotes them as valid lifestyle choices within the fantasy world.

I know, I know, it's a straw man, but I can't help myself.

It's interesting in argument to note when someone categorizes as uncontroversially "bad" things that actually are controversial.  So it's not enough to say that RPGs lead to "occult activites, illegal drugs, deviant sex practices . . . " and lump them in with "criminal activity".  "Occult activities" can mean damn near anything; by Jack T. Chick's way of thinking, my Vajrayana Buddhism is the basest devil worship, and of course the new but increasingly established religion of Wicca is regarded by many as perfectly harmless at worst, but is bandied about by Fundamentalist types as a sure-fire road to jail, hell, and of course those deviant sex practices.  Then we could get into whether the USA's ferocious anti-drug policy is really sensible, and finally, whoah, "deviant" sex practices.  Sheesh.  Those at least I can claim I figured out without gaming's help.

This is why it's important to know your audience.  Skittish parents may be easy to scare, but a university prof. is going to want you to show why the "Bad Things" that something you're identifying as Bad are themselves Bad.

--J B Bell
occultist deviant drug-taking gamer.  Oh yeah, anarchist too.  Stop while you can, kids!  Don't end up like meeee . . .

[Jo Anne B.]

Does anyone know where I could find how rpgs started.  I remember reading something a while ago that said rpgs started as a therapy or something.  I just don't remember where.

Jo Anne

sorry to keep bugging you all.

[Mike Holmes]

Does anyone know where I could find how rpgs started.  I remember reading something a while ago that said rpgs started as a therapy or something.  I just don't remember where.

Jo Anne

sorry to keep bugging you all.

That's sort of a misconception. Role-playing games were invented by some guys who liked wargames and kept reducing the scale of these games until each player was playing one person. So it originally had little to do with what Psychologists do. Their Role-playing is just a theraputic method that involves acting out particular roles. When the game designers in question got to the single player/single soldier level, they realized that they could play the role of the soldier as a character in a fictitious world. So they adopted the term role-playing, probably having heard of the psychological method, and recognizing the similarities.

So they are similar activities in some ways, but the one certainly did not lead to the other. RPGs are a product of wargames, plain and simple.

Mike

[Jo Anne B.]

I have finished typing the essay. If any of you would like to see it, let me know, and I'll figure out how to let you see it.  Again, thanks for the help.

Jo Anne

[Valamir]

I think it would be interesting to see what you came up with.

Of course you'll have to make it clear whether or not your interested in having it critiqued :-)

[Jo Anne B.]

any critique is welcome, but i have to leave for class in about 3 and half hours.  Please let me know how I can send this to people.

Jo Anne

[Clinton R. Nixon]

Jo Anne,

Feel free to either post it in the forums, or e-mail it to me at clinton@acid-reflex.com.

[Jo Anne B.]

Jo Anne,

Feel free to either post it in the forums, or e-mail it to me at clinton@acid-reflex.com.

you wouldn't mind if i put it in the forums?
I'll think about that one first. it is about 3 pages double spaced in Word.  I did email it to you though, thanks.

Jo Anne

[Jo Anne B.]

If anyone is interested to find out, I got a B on the essay.

[Paul Czege]

Were you happy with the B? Do you think she could tell you did it last minute?

Paul