Dungeons and Dragons is a game, pure and simple. It features the process of role-playing, which inspires creativity, teaches problem-solving skills, and allows players to discover and develop relationships in a safe, fictional setting. Dungeons and Dragons is NOT a self-hypnosis program, a secret society, an experimental brain-altering drug, or a self-taught course in swordplay, and it is certainly not satanic.
Various dictionary definitions of "satanic" include adjectives like demonic, evil, wicked, diabolical, or something that applies to the concept of Hell. For purposes of supporting this argument, however, we must also accept the more socially defined, generic assumption that "satanic" might include anything supernatural, pagan, or anything that would go against teachings of faiths such as Christianity and Islam, that believe in Satan as an entity.
== Role-Playing ==
In its simplest form, role-playing offers an escape from real life, and everyone needs an escape from time to time. Instead of just reading about a character in a novel or watching one in a movie, players portray fictional characters, and the entire group, along with the game referee, literally writes the story based on their decisions as the game progresses.
This interactive element is used not only in games, but also in education (e.g., Learning various occupations by stepping into their roles in a college class) and entertainment (e.g., TV's "Whose Line is it, Anyway?"). Are actors seen as satanic because they immerse themselves in roles that portray other people? Not usually. Therefore, the role-playing aspect of D&D cannot be blamed for the misconception that it is satanic.
== Dungeons and Dragons in the Media ==
D&D has historically been a convenient scapegoat for the mainstream media. If a young person had an underlying problem that was not caught or solved before a personal tragedy, and if s/he happened to play D&D even once, some journalists find it easier to blame the game than to find out the true cause of death.
In 1979, 16-year-old genius Dallas Egbert went missing from Michigan State University, returned, but then committed suicide because of depression. His situation was allegedly caused by parental pressure, academic expectations, sexual confusion, and other unfortunate circumstances. According to many unofficial sources, he simply wanted to get away to sort things out, but found the pressure to be too much. He also happened to play D&D.
In the early 1980s, Bink Pulling, a disturbed young man who was allegedly a fan of Adolph Hitler, had started running around like a dog and also maiming small animals. He eventually shot himself. His mother, Patricia, insisted that she had no indication of any behavioral problems with her son, and that his suicide was caused by a curse from one of his fellow D&D players. She launched a decade-long campaign against role-playing games.
The still relatively new Dungeons and Dragons was blamed in both cases, but it was proven that the game was in no way linked to these sad situations. These are only two examples of deceptions and assumptions that dragged the name of Dungeons and Dragons through the mud unnecessarily.
== Live Action Role-Playing ==
There have been other stories of teens that were killed after engaging in real-life swordplay without proper instruction or supervision. Dungeons & Dragons or RPGs (Role-Playing Games) were again blamed.
There is a big difference between RPG genre and a dangerous subset called LARP (Live Action Role-Playing). RPGs encompass all role-playing games (whether on paper, online, or on a separate computer game console), such as Dungeons and Dragons, Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, Runescape, and others.
The "live-action" subset of RPGs was created for the real, physical portrayal of game characters. Danger, Will Robinson: This is NOT the same as traditional D&D. Any smart Dungeons and Dragons player will confine the fantasy storyline to paper and not bring it into the real world, since D&D was not created for real life.
This may be a hard notion for some people to swallow, but those unfortunate souls who physically attempted to swordfight and cast spells probably needed professional help. They did not understand (or care) that they were putting lives in danger, and they should have considered the serious consequences of their actions. It's a sad fact that these unfortunate results from such a small minority may have caused relatives, friends, and/or neighbors of the deceased to cast aspersions on the entire gaming world, denouncing D&D as evil.
Yes, some folks do practice swordplay, but they do it responsibly. They learn it slowly and practice carefully for many years, taking great safety precautions as they become more proficient; they make an occupation out of it. Those teens that dressed up, somehow acquired swords, and pretended to know about sword fighting were asking for trouble. The game did not tell them to do this - they made those choices of their own free will.
No matter what people do, they make the choices that sometimes alter the course of their lives. If someone who happens to play Dungeons and Dragons decides to take their life into their own hands, it's their choice.
== Satanic Magic? ==
There are those who would categorically label all forms of magic (whether real or fictional) as evil, blasphemous, or unnatural. The fantasy setting of Dungeons and Dragons involves magic, which is perhaps what makes these labelers leery of the game. However, playing a character that can put up an invisible wall or toss fireballs at an enemy can logically be seen as pretending to act defensively or offensively, but not satanically. The fictional character in the game is the one casting the spells, while the real player is just sitting with his friends, telling a story, rolling dice, and perhaps jotting notes on paper.
Maybe folks don't like the fact that some of the game's high-level spells and magic items allow characters (not players) to engage in actions that go against traditional religious beliefs, actions like speaking with the dead or summoning demons.
This, then, becomes the crux of the argument, and creates a more specific question: Is a game satanic because it allows players to verbally portray fictional characters who live in a fictional world that could be construed as religiously dissident?
== D&D and Religion ==
While the concepts of role-playing and fiction are not inherently dangerous, religious dissidence (or non-conformism) is generally seen as wrong and could be construed as a serious offense, depending on who you ask. Straying from the teachings of your church or holy book are usually looked down upon, so anyone wishing to follow certain rules and live life according to a certain set of beliefs should be crystal clear about the meaning of those teachings.
In other words, where's the proof that Dungeons and Dragons is satanic? The Ten Commandments never mention "Thou Shalt Not Covet Role-Playing Games," although it is most likely an assumed no-no via the general teachings of Christianity. Religious belief is just that - belief - and each of us must therefore figure out, possibly through a bit of soul-searching, if D&D is really a threat or not. This can be done either in an organized religion or individually - it all depends on your personal conviction.
Interpretation can sometimes be a tricky pursuit, especially when working with historical documents. If you are truly concerned about a particular passage (from the Bible, for instance) and want a more definitive answer, ask people that you trust for their opinions and knowledge. Also ask folks about the game. Learn everything you can and make no assumptions. This way, you can begin to solidify your own personal truth about whether Dungeons & Dragons is satanic or not. If you do this research with an open mind, you may be surprised at what you prove or disprove, believe or disbelieve.
== Other Condemnable Reasons ==
It is a plain fact that the actions of D&D characters (not players) also revolve around treasure hunting (greed), deception and bloodshed (wrath), and sometimes placing the character's needs as a top priority (pride). In real life, these actions/sins are indeed condemnable if they rule the way you live your life. However, Dungeons and Dragons is not real life - it is a fantasy world found only in rulebooks, scribbled notes, and the collective imaginations of players. Again, the danger here is if a player decides, of his own accord, to bring these lowly concepts into the real world.
== Summary ==
Dungeons and Dragons is just a game. It's interactive pretending. It allows players to make up a story in a world that is not real, and anyone who chooses to make it real should think twice before acting, or suffer the consequences. Playing D&D does NOT advocate real-life satanic activities; if it did, the world conceivably would be a much different place than it is today.