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Quite frankly, the whole notion that Dungeons and Dragons is satanic is ridiculous to say the least. Some people really do take things a bit too far.

Explain to me how a role-playing game played using pen and paper (or via a computer) can be construed as satanic? Oh yeah, you kill demons via rolling dice and deal with certain themes. It must be satanic.

No, that is simply daft. Again, I will repeat that some people take things too far. My definition of satanism is limited to people who commit heinous crimes, worship the devil and make sacrifices in real life. I certainly don't include people having fun, sitting around a table rolling dice as indulging in satanic activities. I also don't include any games that are based around that to be satanic.

Lets look at the game:

The game is set in a fantasy world and you play it either at a table or on the computer. The world is strictly medieval with fantasy elements if you're playing in The Forgotten Realms setting. If you're playing in other settings, the worlds can be more diverse and otherworldly.

You create a character from scratch with randomised statistics and you group with friends to have fun and role-play a character inside the fictional world. During this, a Dungeon Master plays alongside you and controls the storyline of the campaign you're playing together with the challenges you face. Essentially, while the game might not be for me, the game is for people who find enjoyment in role-playing and view it as a hobby and perhaps some prefer it to going out.

When you are in the game and playing, you will start at level one without any good gear at all and will be relegated to fighting weak foes like goblins for instance. As you progress through the campaign, you will get stronger, fight fiercer foes and get better items. The process is continued as you approach the epic levels and beyond. Epic levels starting at level twenty.

This is where things get interesting and where I wager people get the idea of the game being satanic from.

You will fight dragons, demons and gods at the epic levels. You will also tackle the mature themes of dealing with cultists who sacrifice people to their gods. But still, it is just a game.

As a counter to the satanic aspects also, you will find good gods like Tyr and Lathander. They are dedicated to healing and helping people, so everything isn't all doom and gloom.

A summary:

Now my question is how does this game hurt anyone? The answer is simple: it doesn't. Yeah sure, it might not be everybody's idea of fun but that is beside the point. I think people's time will be better spent labelling other activities as satanic instead of worrying about a harmless game.

Just because people deal with mature themes in the fictional world their characters they play as inhabit doesn't mean they will go outside into the real world and do whatever their characters witness. If we're going to continue to label Dungeons and Dragons satanic though, then why don't we just go and label any fantasy game out there as satanic? For that matter, any fantasy book.

I know why. It is because Dungeons and Dragons is the most popular game out there alongside Games Workshop's Warhammer series. As ever, popular films and games are targeted for the most stupid of reasons just because they are just that, popular.

Learn more about this author, Dan Cartwright.
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