by Natasha Alexandria

Created on: July 31, 2007

I was introduced to the world of "Dungeons & Dragons" at the age of 19. Until then I had never heard of the game. I began playing in university as a cheap, fun way to spend an evening with my friends and escape the world of exams, tuition and essays.

Ignorant to the stigmas attached to the game, I had no preconceived notions of how a typical "D&D" player is regarded. After playing, I pictured the typical D&D group to be intelligent, creative and social. One would think that this would be every parent's dream - but apparently not.

My revelation to my family and friends that I had become a D&D player was always met with one of two reactions: The first were those who gave me the same blank, emotionless and confused stare that I first gave my friends when they told me about the game - oblivious to it's existence and a tad confused about how it's played. The second reaction was that of shock and disbelief, and was often accompanied by an immediate recount of all horror stories associated with cult-like addictions and human negligence as a result of endless hours of playing. These stories often preceded a warning that I, too, could become addicted if I am not careful. Assuring them that this was not the Ebola virus or a form of heroin, I quickly learned the hard truth about the D&D stigma that I had once been so oblivious of.

Several years later, I am both astonished and disgusted that the same people who fear my sanity each time I play D&D, unquestionably allow their children to play video games such as "Grand Theft Auto" - Apparently a game where characters violently walk the streets and shoot people is a better alternative to D&D? I fear that parents will, in an attempt to save their children from the world of role-playing, make this true; and diminish what is left of true creativity and originality in games today in the process.

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