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A Parent's Guide to Role Playing Games
hapycamper writes "Role playing games are evaluated from the perspective of a concerned parent in the latest two editions of the GamerDad Unplugged column. The articles discuss some of the finer points of table-top gaming from a parental perspective, with the first article discussing just what an RPG is and the second addressing some of the main concerns that a parent might have about their child playing an RPG." From the article:"So, the most important things a parent should be concerned about in a role playing game are the game players. Who is your child playing with? As mentioned, these types of games come straight out of the imagination of the players, especially the GM..."
I clicked on the link, thinking it might be a good read. And it is, but only from the perspective of someone who already knows something about it. The author stares at D&D, only making passing references to other genres, of tabletop RPGs. He alludes to cartoon, superhero and historic genres, but provides no links.
He also suggests historical-based games as a way to avoid exposing children to religious issues. Questions about maturity requirements aside, he apparently never heard of Egyptian or Norse mythology.
The author uses images of D&D books as illustrations for discussion of evil (Book of Vile Darkness) and religion (Dieties and Demigods).
Apparently, he never read Dieties and Demigods, because it's a fascinating source of information for Greek, Norse and Egyptian mythology. I'm not saying it's a definitive source, but it's certainly capable of spurring someone into doing their own research. The stat blocks for the *ahem* dieties and demigods in the book read like essays on the subject, if you're paying attention.
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While I'm glad that parents are checking into this stuff, I'm kinda wondering what's happening to Slashdot. This is the third or fourth article today about "family"-related matters or Christianity in gaming. Considering our usual fare, it seems a bit out of place. Did Taco get overthrown or something?
Windows isn't the answer... it's the question. NO is the answer!
Parents need to understand that RPGs DO teach children real world skills.
Kids that play RPGs understand intuitively that winnning the Lotto is nigh impossible because you would have to roll 1d4 and 7d10 and have them all turn out as 1's.
Kids that play RPGs are better prepared for the workforce because they know what it is like to work together as a team to reach a goal, only to have that goal squashed due to the GM's (aka boss') preconceived notion on how the adventure (aka project) should turn out.
And finally, kids that play RPGs know that you should never open a door, package, or anything else for that matter without first checking for traps.
"I personally only role play characters who have basically good motivations since I find attempting to role-play a purely self-motivated evil character uncomfortable and emotionally draining. "
This is something that I've been analyzing myself as of late. In the gaming community, its widely accepted that the game isn't real life, so whats the deal with killing innocents, slinging drugs, or torturing? A moral Christian view comes from the idea that what we feel in our hearts matters. There is a differnce between the following GTA players, but not the game:
A:Player just wants to maximize the high score in the game, so he does what the game favors most. If its killing bad guys, or sleeping with a prostitute, then killing her for his money back.
B:Player B is a real life gangsta, and likes a game that grooves with his actual lifestyle.
C:Player C is a wanna be gangsta, and does everything he can to emulate being a real gangsta.(I'm sure you've seen these clowns before). Someday he may actually break into the racket.
Its may be hard to understand this outside of a Christian spiritual context, but you should analyze why you find a game fun. The role you play in a game is something you'd like to experience. If something you like to experience is something thats acting out evil fantasies then you should really consider your desires.
God spoke to me.
An RPG is supposed to be a 60hr game. But it's really a 20hr game + 40hr video clips.
"So you've just found out your son plans to STAY in your basement a few more decades..."
I posted this on the forum at GamerDad as well because I grew up (and played pencil-and-paper RPGs) when all of the hysteria broke out about Dungeons and Dragons, and I don't want to see this kind of silliness again.
Characters can often be some type of priest serving a god who, in turn, provides that character with magical abilities like healing or protection. This could be uncomfortable for some families.
When I was growing up, I played RPGs a lot. My mom was a religious woman, and I knew that she was sometimes uncomfortable with me pretending to worship various deities and casting spells. (Yes, I was one of those who went through the occult motions that my character would.) As a kid, of course, I thought she was just being silly, since I was an active Christian member of my church and never got into any trouble.
The important thing for kids and parents to understand about these games is that they are just that--games. The worlds that gamemasters create are realms of fiction and fantasy. Although a quick spell may help a player's wizard get out of a sticky scrape, kids are smart enough to realize no amount of spellcasting will help them with that history test in fifth period tomorrow. If that is not true, then role-playing games are not the primary issue, and I suggest that you need to get psychological help for your child.
When I played role-playing games, it was for entertainment, nothing more. I also watched horror movies, like A Nightmare on Elm Street, and I was well aware of the difference between Freddy Kruger (the supernatural psychopathic killer) and Robert Englund (the actor that played Freddy). If I had met Robert in person, I would not have run away screaming in fear, I would likely have told him that I loved his movies and asked for an autograph. I also was well aware that there was no such thing as Freddy Kruger, and though I occasionally worried about various bumps in the night, I never was in any real fear of Freddy coming out from under my bed to get me.
Adults engage in this form of escapism as well. In The Passion of the Christ, an actor named Hristo Shopov portrayed Pontius Pilate. The actor, in his role-playing, recited lines to condemn Jesus Christ to death. I surely hope that concerned parents do not seriously have religious issues with Mr. Shopov accepting this role, and I surely hope that parents of children who play role-playing games do not mistake their entertainment as occult rituals.
I suggest that as a parent, it doesn't hurt to remind your child of the distinction between fantasy and reality occasionally, just as you would when explaining that the people on television and in movies are just pretending. But if you prohibit your child from playing role-playing games because of religious reasons, you could very well be creating or contributing to a problem with this distinction because you are assigning real qualities to something that is inherently make-believe.
I agree with Matt, a frank discussion of the issue is probably the best solution. Make sure that it is a real discussion in which the parent keeps a healthy perspective and truly recognizes these games for what they are.
Having just restarted an AD&D campaign with other thirty-somethings, I can tell you that we can get more out of this game at our "parenting" age than we could have when we played heavily in high school. This is not one of those parenting duties, it's one of those parenting privilidges. Plus, in this era of personal separation, RPGs seem like the single best way to really connect with people.
I'd rather protect kids from just about anything (video games, exploitative porn, TV, religion, cigarettes, etc.) before I even began to worry about RPG's.
I'm quite disappointed, thought this would shed some light on the anti-social behaviour online rpg's bring into kids
Was going to link my parents to it, to help my dear runescape addic younger brother, but no, nothing of the sort
I put on my wizard hat........
I R00z j00!!!!!
http://www.dragondogpress.com/unclefiggy/rp4nrp/ Uncle Figgy's Guide to Roleplaying for Non-Roleplayers, A Manual for Parents, Friends, and Gamers is a good read about roleplaying for someone who isn't a familiar with it.
When I was growing up in the early 80's I played D&D and military role playing games with my friends, most of whom were in band and were into nerdy things. We even had some 'freaks' who joined with us. Most of the time we would game at my friends house, even without his dad being around; most parents knew this but we never got into any trouble so it was cool. Then a new pastor moved into town and his wife found out about our D&D gaming. Of course, being the uptight, morally-holier-than-thou-type she was, there had to be something done to save us!:( She got all of our parents together for a discussion and started in on the "evils" of this game. My one friends mother stood up and asked her, "so you want them to quit playing this game?! Should we just go out and buy them booze and let them party?" Unfortunately her logic was lost on a few parents and we lost several of our players.:( This didn't stop us though, albeit the preaching continued. Forward to a couple of years later when I was in the USAF stationed at a northern tier base. I brought my D&D and Axis and Allies games with me, but saw a notice posted on our barracks dorm from the ultra-rightwing First Sgt stating that no role playing or dice games allowed! Sensing another zealot trying to control what I did I went to complain to our company commander. During the hearing I stated that since we were in the military wouldn't it be foolish to ban a military game (I left D&D out of it)? And, using the same logic as my friends mom, asked him would it be better if we went downtown to drink and possible get into trouble? He agreed and our group was allowed to enjoy a hobby with my new friends.
...and they want their paranoid parents back.
"I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
-Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
For those that didn't get the reference.
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I thought Jack Chick already published A Parent's Guide to Role Playing Games?
Keep that in mind, and all will be fine.
Short Circuit (52384), I have good news! You have been promoted. Please report to promotion chamber 14 on Level C-H27 immediately. There is absolutely no danger. Failure to report for this scheduled promotion is treason, and is punishable by death.
Be happy! The Computer is your friend.
Are you not happy?
Mainframe/UNIX Bit Twiddler and long time Windows/Linux Hobbyist.
The Theorem Theorem: If If, Then Then.
The author said at the end of the article tha the next part will be an overview of the available games.
"Perhaps you meant "ratro"?
The ancient egyptians, just like the later arabs, were not big on writing vowels.
So is it "Ra" or "Re"? How do you know? We still talk about the pharaohs Rameses, for example. "Ra meses" means literally "born of Ra". I haven't heard anyone calling him "Remeses".
Or was it "Aten", "Aton" or "Atun"? And therefore was the pharaoh enforcing that religion "Akhen-Aten", "Akhen-Atun" or "Akhen-Aton"? For each of the three, I've seen at least one respectable historian writing it that way.
And that was a pretty damn important religion: it was the first attempt at enforcing a monotheism. And it could be argued that it's where the Jews and Moses got their monotheism idea from. In which case our Bible, the crusades, etc, can all be traced back to that Egyptian religion.
Or was it "Amun" or "Amen"? Hence was it "Tut-Ankh-Amun" or "Tut-Ankh-Amen"? ("Living Image of Amun/Amen")
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.