Why did both my father and step father say that Dungeons and Dragon's would mess me up?

Because they don’t know anything of Dungeons and Dragon’s beyond what they’ve been indoctrinated to repeat like parrots. You know, the way cult leaders brainwash their followers to believing many things they’ve never experienced for themselves are of the debil.

The same reason why my parents say detective fiction will ruin my morality. They don’t like it and that’s all.

As long as you can see the difference between that world and your real life you’re OK.

Dungeons and Dragons is pretty harmless. If I were a parent, the biggest objection would be that the kid might get too deep into a fantasy world, and miss out on stuff in real life. Everyone needs a hobby. World of Warcraft is about a million times worse. :)

While I normally feel that such thinking is paranoia, given who is asking, I think the answer is quite different for you than it would be for most people.

In most cases, such thoughts are often the result of ignorance and fear. They think of a news story from decades ago where some kid thought he was a 14th level Wizard and tried casting Fireball. Look at this theory about Harry Potter and it’s not hard to see how an ignorant person may think that even tangential involvement with the occult will turn one insane.

I am a roleplayer, and have GM’d a few campaigns, but I know there is a VERY sharp, solid line between the games and the real world. I don’t have a datajack. I don’t have Astral Perception. Fireballs come from flamethrowers, not from manipulating mana. Those who know me know that I am well-grounded and have no problems separating reality from fantasy. People may question my morality, but my sanity is never in doubt.

* * * (Warning – “Tough love” ahead”) * * *

However, in your particular case, @talljasperman, it’s possible that they sensed that you already had a bit of a hard time dividing fantasy from reality. Just as sugar won’t give a person Type 1 Diabetes, D&D won’t make normal people lose their grip on reality… but it can be a catalyst for those who already have a fingernail grip to lose hold and drift off into la-la land. The game won’t cause a problem though, it will merely make an existing problem worse. The problem wasn’t getting too deep into the occult. There were already problems long before you got into that stuff.

And I think that is what happened with you, @talljasperman. There was an underlying issue that would’ve caused problems even if you never had learned D&D existed. My father never picked up a Players Handbook, yet he had the same issues you do. It’s merely that your symptoms manifested by latching onto things that others would regard as “occult” instead of, say, thinking you’re an undercover CIA agent on an anti-mafia taskforce or some other fantasy unrelated to the occult and/or RPGs.

As for how you can get un-messed, lots of therapy, probably some medication, and hoping that you’re not part of the ⅓ of those like you that don’t respond to treatment. If you don’t like doctors or don’t want to follow their treatment plans, then you’re pretty much stuck being how you are. And there are no alternative treatments like acupuncture, so you better get used to pills.

@Mimishu1995 And when you can’t see that difference?

@Haleth My biggest objection would be that D&D sucks! Terrible mechanics, no real in-depth world design, restrictive character development… I’d disown the bastard for a total lack of taste! Now, if it were GURPS or Shadowrun, then I would support them, but D&D would be only slightly better than finding out they were a serial killer.

Is it possible they just want you to go outside and get exercise?

I Played with some Wiccans once, they wer WAY into it, dressed up, lived the roles. For me, it was creepy & weird.

I don’t remember all the particulars but I remember years ago some teens committed some terrible murders.

When they were arrested and later convicted they said they got the idea from the game Dungeons and Dragons. There were all kinds of articles in the Newspaper and TV about this game being dangerous for children and Teens to be playing.

Maybe your Parents are remembering this event?

Most people that are ignorant of the game will say it’s dangerous because it exposes you to witchcraft and demons and shit like that. That you’ll become too enthralled with these ‘dark’ elements and want to live out some silly fantasy BS that ends with you killing someone with a sword or crossbow or whatever. Although this has happened, the percentages are not any greater within the D&D community than outside of it.

The real problem with D&D is it’s a colossal waste of time. It provides a fun distraction from real life, which can be incredibly enticing for those that already have issues with procrastination/avoiding their “real lives” to begin with.

When I was a kid I would haul around copies of The Dungeon Master’s Guide, Deities and Demigods, and The Player’s Handbook in my bag instead of my school books. I just didn’t have time for that school BS when I had monsters to slay and treasure to loot. My christian mother must have exercised serious restraint to let her 9 year old run around with this in his backpack.

I grew out of it by age 13, but a friend didn’t, and I have chilling memories of him telling me D&D was the most important thing in his life well into his teenage years.

Yes it is only a game, but it’s a game with no end. There is no way to win. That next campaign is always beckoning. That next level is just around the corner. People can play for hours every day for 20 years and still not win (read finish).

Fort those inclined towards procrastination/real life avoidance/laziness, I consider it a virtual poison. I’m just glad I ‘got out’ when I did.

@KNOWITALL I know two types of that type. One is harmless, the other managed to synchronize their psychoses; the way to tell them apart is how functional they are out-of-game.
Also, are you sure they were Wiccans and not just some kids who picked up the moniker? Many claim to be Wiccan for shock value and invent all sorts of stuff, while true Wicca really isn’t all that occult. Dance around a maypole, offer a few prayers to God and Goddess, then have a potluck feast; not really more occult than one of your services. However, if there’s an offering other than food,craftwork, or a plant, it isn’t Wicca; neither Wicca nor Satanism does blood sacrifice.

@FutureMemory That type of person can also waste time watching TV, surfing the internet, or a myriad of other things. At least gaming has a bit of a goal, and requires some thinking to understand the rules; moreso than surfing LOLcats.

@Jerv It was a big group of people, old & young, most dressed in robes & stuff. I didn’t hang out more than three times.

@talljasperman, if someone criticizes you, do you just blow them off? What is your IQ? Just how old are you, legally, and how old do you think you are? Do you believe in anything in the mainstream? Do you seek the non-main-stream for any particular reasons? When did someone first tell you that you were important to them? When did someone first tell you that you’re a piece of work?

Now all of my questions are from my realization that I had all these questions, especially after reading Jerv’s response. It seems to me that you are in a growth phase which has you gimballing between “I’m special – I’m not special”. That’s actually wrong thinking. Everyone is special and no one is special. No one person is more important than the next, no one person is less important than the next. You were born, therefore you must be a member of society. If you are trying to get out of it, you don’t get to. No one does. Everyone has something special to contribute to a successful society. You are not required to stay on the fringes, you are required to not create a fringe just because you want too. You are required to take control of your impulses and emotions and desires and balance those against the needs of society. Try studying martial arts, at some point you must bow to your teacher and acknowledge that they have superiority before you can demonstrate that you have become their superior. I have not gotten that far and may never. The truly respectable person finds himself/herself and acknowledges that they are who they are and finds a few people who appreciate them for who they are. These people are centered at the core of their self. If you truly wish to be one of those, you must acknowledge your faults to yourself and take on the responsibilities of an adult, not flaunt them for everyone to say ‘poor you’. You just annoy those who are striving and barely succeeding, and those with the power and prestige that you crave, they don’t care about you because you have chosen not to do things the way they did/do/have, etc.

Your one goal in life should be what can I do to make society better. A bad goal is how can I take advantage of what society has to offer.

You have the power to change your choices. If you didn’t learn any of this playing D&D then you missed the point of D&D. I’ve known many people with D&D in their lives who’ve developed successful fulfilling lives. Their choices, your choices.

@KNOWITALL I think some of the people I’ve hung with would blow your mind then. LARPers, Rennies, pirates, Otaku, Steampunks… all good folks, but quite outside of the mainstream.

@Jerv tHe courting of darkness bothered me. Larpers & stuff isn’t the same to me.

Years ago when it first came out I remember hearing people concerned about people committing crimes while playing the game.

Here’s an example of someone who was recently stabbed 19 times because her attackers were trying to “impress” a fictional character called “Slender Man”. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/slender-man-victims-father-blindsided-25775322?tab=9482931&section=1206833

@snowberry Yep, always looking for a scapegoat so we don’t have to admit that some people are just naturally insane.

Hey, did you know that 100% of all murders are committed by people who breathe? That means anyone who breathes is probably an axe-wielding psycho-murderer!

Makes about as much sense as blaming video games or D&D….

@jerv That’s odd. If that’s what the attackers said, how could the game be a scapegoat?

@snowberry I think there has been a miscommunication here. Where did you come up with the idea that I said D&D was responsible for the Slender Man case?

My point was simply that Slender Man, D&D, and rock music have all have been scapegoated as reasons for crazy people “becoming” crazy even though the truth is that they were screwed up all along.

@jerv I didn’t. Obviously you and I are on completely different wavelengths. You win. Happy?

@all thank you.