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Actually, I'm not saying Dungeons and Dragons is itself evil, but it has some very diabolical influences.

My background with the game goes back almost thirty years. The game began on college campuses in the seventies. Students like Gary Gygax created RPGs (Role-Playing Games) as a social occupation to fill time not devoted to drinking or finding a lover. Apparently, studying was out of the question.

I, too, had a lot of time to fill. I was in the Navy and spent a lot of time out to sea. This was before video games, MP3 players and small, flat screened DVD players. We only had two channels on the television in the lounge and one of them was always on the flight deck.

Personal computers were also off in the future. The first consoles were blocky, slow and there were few programs available. Still, we did have a few Commodore 64s back in the berthing area, but not enough.

Fortunately, I was in Reactor Department. Many of my shipmates were college dropouts and had lots of experience with D&D. Apparently, too much gaming and not enough studying. These men introduced me to role playing games.

I found it fascinating. The game brought the world of LORD OF THE RINGS to "life." It permitted me to take on the role of a character in that world and adventure on my own. I have to admit it was a blast!

We spent many hours per session, especially on deployment. It was common to pass through the meesdecks late at night and see several tables filled with books, charts and screens. There was the constant chatter of players and the clatter of oddly shaped dice.

Somewhere around the mid-80's stories began to circulate about the possible problems of obsession with D&D. Students and children would commit suicide when their favorite character died.

I remember how I felt the first time my elf fighter-magic user died. You invest so much of yourself into these fabrications it's almost like losing a real loved one when they die.

One day the topic of satanic influences came up during a game. I had been playing with three young sailors who were not part of our normal play group. Since they were about seven years younger than me and had started playing at a much younger age, I wanted their perspective.

I was surprised at the response they gave. They were very excited about the spell casting aspect. They each would love to be able to cast spells and summon spirits like they do in the game. They fell into a discussion about finding a copy of the NECRONOMICON so they could learn witchcraft.

I never played Dungeons and Dragons again.

This wasn't out of fear. I didn't want to participate in any activity that makes young people want to learn to summon demons and cast spells on other people. I could treat the game as a diversion and entertainment but apparently it had a stronger influence on younger minds.

I shifted to space games like TRAVELLERS and ROBOTECH after that. These were spiritually safer and healthier and ultimately more fun.

Learn more about this author, Morgan Johnson.
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