Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watmath.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!jagardner From: jagardner@watmath.UUCP (Jim Gardner) Newsgroups: net.games.frp Subject: Re: Violence and the arts Message-ID: <16242@watmath.UUCP> Date: Wed, 21-Aug-85 13:10:37 EDT Article-I.D.: watmath.16242 Posted: Wed Aug 21 13:10:37 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 24-Aug-85 03:50:14 EDT References: <6601@ucla-cs.ARPA> <16240@watmath.UUCP> Reply-To: jagardner@watmath.UUCP (Jim Gardner) Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 19 Keywords: Flame, idiot, moral majority. [...] I know at least one teacher who actively encourages her high school students to play role-playing games. Instead of competing with other people, the students learn to co-operate with each other to achieve some goal...which sounds pretty corny, but we've all seen it happen. In addition, you learn to co-operate, or you're out. In sports, the hot-shot players can be pretty obnoxious and still be kept on the team because they're good. In role-playing games, the GM and the group won't put up with dorks for very long, regardless of their knowledge of the rules, success in killing, etc. Of course, I won't even mention the value that role-playing games place on creativity and invention, the way they can stimulate imagination, and so on. Why do so many people see the content of RPGs and never notice the spirit? Jim Gardner, University of Waterloo