Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.7.0.8 $; site uiucdcsp Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcsp!ekblaw From: ekblaw@uiucdcsp.Uiuc.ARPA Newsgroups: net.games.frp Subject: Re: Violence and the arts Message-ID: <6700003@uiucdcsp> Date: Thu, 22-Aug-85 20:37:00 EDT Article-I.D.: uiucdcsp.6700003 Posted: Thu Aug 22 20:37:00 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 25-Aug-85 00:17:15 EDT References: <6601@ucla-cs.ARPA> Lines: 20 Nf-ID: #R:ucla-cs.ARPA:-660100:uiucdcsp:6700003:000:1221 Nf-From: uiucdcsp.Uiuc.ARPA!ekblaw Aug 22 19:37:00 1985 Unfortunately, there is evidence of D&D causing deaths. These deaths are not usually homicides or suicides, however. Several teens have been injured or died by role-playing to the extreme - acting out adventures in made-up dungeons. The problems are usually those of suffocation or pneumonia due to spending too much time in tunnels, caves, or other "dungeons". However, your point of refuting the Doctor's statement is very sound. There is no evidence that I know of where a D&D player has gone out and murdered people on the premise that he/she "learned violence from the game." Indeed, the percentage of D&D players who are criminals AT ALL is much below the average of other games; especially sports. Perhaps the level of intelligence needed to adequately play the game (to understand strategies, find traps, etc.) is high enough that the players realize the difference between reality and fantasy, or maybe we (the D&D players) are simply too smart to get involved in illegal activity. Whatever the reason, I have to agree; the doctor is a quack. Robert A. Ekblaw, ekblaw@uiucdcs. "Preserving the mental, emotional, and social health of people everywhere, even if I have to batter them silly to do it."