Moral Panic

I've been playing D&D (or modified versions of RPG games) for decades now, although not as heavily involved as my friends, it has always been an escape that I've enjoyed, allowing me to create a fictional narrative that I have always been unable to do so on my own.

We were probably at the tail end of the first generation of D&D players, or perhaps the very first of the next generation so a lot of the hysteria had subsided by the time we were playing. I recall there was a little bit of reluctance on the part of the schools that we attended to allow us to use "dice" in the classroom and I am sure that is part of the lingering effects of the hysteria. Most of our gaming activity occurred either at home or on the local BBS's.

With that being said, the "moral panic" and hysteria around the first generation of D&D players has always fascinated me. This is a great article about an early Tom Hanks vehicle, Mazes and Monsters.

"...it's a cautionary tale about the supposed impact of RPGs on delicate young minds - and perhaps best remembered as the first feature role for a young Tom Hanks."

I haven't had a chance to watch this crap-tastic sounding made for TV-movie, but the article does give a nice summary of the era and the movie itself.