Dungeons and Dragons
Dungeons and Dragons (D&D or DnD) is a role-playing game which takes place in magical fantasy world of mythical creatures such as elves, dwarves, orcs, and dragons. Players undertake a series of heroic adventures or quests, following a plot controlled by one player called the dungeon master (DM).
The game was originally published in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and is now published by Wizards of the Coast.[1]
Game play
Games of chance types are used to determine outcomes. As players' characters accomplish more, they gain experience points (XP) which allow their characters to gain levels, which in turn make them more powerful and have more abilities. The DM may use a commercially-produced adventure, or may create one of his own.
The game's warped moral system allows players to play characters who follow one of three different alignments; chaotic good, true neutral, and lawful evil. his system has been said to cause moral confusion in gamers, who are forced between choosing to obey legitimate authority and be branded "evil" or rebel in order to be accepted as "good." The character's alignment gives a guideline for how he or she would react in some situations. Wizards, for example, are required to be of the good alignment. Most DMs forbid good characters as their "arbitrary moral rules" are often disruptive to the game.
The game may include occult elements like magic, ghosts, spirits, demons and devils which the characters may worship, kill or aid as they see fit, giving them complete control in their own sad little fictional universe.
The game settings manufactured by Wizards of the Coast (Greyhawk, Faerun, Eberron, etc.) also expressly adopt a and reject mainstream religion as a part of the game. Clerics of these false gods are granted magical powers by their chosen deity by means of which they can ritually sacrifice their enemies, or heal their party members.
The game has been steadily modified and expanded since the original first edition and is now in edition 3.5.
There is now a Dungeons and Dragons Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game (MMORPG) known as Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach which takes place in the Eberron campaign setting.
Most disturbingly, the magic system of the game is based on real life occult traditions of hermetic magic. Researchers have discovered that the game contains actual spells and incantations from the Necronomicon. It has been well documented that playing the game may bring about demonic infestations.
Relationship with Christianity
Although Dungeons & Dragons does presents itself as pro-Christian, the game features many elements which disagree with or go against the teachings of Christ.
The game includes supernatural abilities called magic, "good spirits" called demons and devils, and false gods for guilable kids to worship along with their followers. Christians are divided on how this interacts with their faith. Some Christians believe that such fictional depictions of practices forbidden by Scripture and mythological deities do not conflict with the player's faith provided that he does not truly believe that these things are part of real life or that their real-world equivalents should be condoned. These Christians compare the game to reading or writing a work of fiction containing these elements, such as reading about Greek mythology or writing stories involving devils as C.S. Lewis wrote The Screwtape Letters. However, other Christians disagree with this viewpoint, citing references in Scripture which prohibit witchcraft (Lev. 20:27) or the worship of false gods (Deut. 5:7).
Since the primary action of the game involves the slaying of monsters and the accumulation of wealth, some Christians feel that this goes against the teachings of Christ regarding pacifism (Matthew 5:38-42) and the accumulation of wealth (Matthew 19:24).
Controversy and Criticism
Starting in the late 1970s the game and others like its dangers were summarized in the Dark Dungeons tract by American fundamentalist Christian author Jack Chick[2], who demonstrates that D&D players whose characters reach a high enough level can learn to cast real magic spells.
John Eric Holmes notes that, "The level of violence in this make believe world runs high. There is hardly a game in which the players do not indulge in murder, arson, torture, rape or highway robbery."
One item of concern for real Christians is that players' characters do not usually worship God, but instead choose a false god from a polytheistic pantheon. Player characters are regularly rewarded with treasure and occult powers for summoning and worshiping demons and devils.
The game has also been linked to hundreds of murders and suicides since it's release. The most famous case was that of James Egbert, an intelligent, socially well adjusted man who, for no other descrenable reason, murdered both of his loving parents before commiting suicide.
Even the Israeli army has taken notice of this issue and stated that players are "detached from reality and susceptible to influence,”
The game has drawn criticism for allowing players to undertake un-Christian activities: the rules allow a player to have their character perform evil acts, including the summoning or worshiping of demons and devils. However, the game rules discourage the dungeon master from allowing his players to choose evil characters, and in the current edition of the game the player is penalized experience points if he summons a demon or devil.
Another criticism is that illustrations in the rule books for Dungeons and Dragons usually contain images of immodestly dressed women, and, in fact, in the first edition Monster Manual dozens of pencil drawings were topless (such as harpy and succubus). Later, the most art was changed to color drawings.
Tracy Hickman, one of the main authors of the Dungeons and Dragons DragonLance book series, who claims to have conservative politics and theology, has written a number of articles defending and discussing D&D from a Christian perspective. [3] Others within the Dungeons and Dragons community responded by writing other defenses from seecular perspectives or other perspectives or by writing parodies such as "Chess: The Subtle Sin: Should Christians play chess?". In response to the perceived Christian persecution of the Dungeons and Dragons, darker themed, deliberately counter-cultural games appeared in reaction such as Call of Cthluhu which is based on the horror writing of H.P. Lovecraft and set in the Cthulhu Mythos[3], or Vampire: the Masquerade, whose players believe themselves to be undead blood-suckers
References
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast's D&D site
- ↑ Jack Chick: "Dark Dungeons"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture: "Role-Playing Games and the Christian Right"