Games and Politics: Make Your Choice
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January 15, 2000: Join the EFF, Here's Why!
Sometimes, when someone takes the time of energy to take an interest in a cause, that person won't know where it will lead him. This is the case with me. My interest in the intersection between Games and Politics began when I was young. As a kid, I was fairly intellectual and loved to read. I was also bored. This was the 1970's in New Jersey, there wasn't much to do if you were a kid. However, sometime during this time period something happened to bring me out of my boredom. Actually, two different things. The first was that some other kids I knew introduced me to the Dungeons and Dragons game. This had a profound effect on me, it fascinated me. Finally, an activity where I could use my imagination. Of course, it mostly didn't work out that way in practice. I had a hard time finding people to play D&D and later games with, and the people I did find I didn't get along with. However, I became an avid collector, and bought a lot of the paraphernalia associated with games like Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, Tunnels and Trolls, Call of Cthuhlu and Paranoia. I also had a Magnavox Odyssey console, which had some good games, but was sure limited related to pen and paper games.
The second major even of my youth was my parents purchase of an Atari 800 computer (and later a 5 1/4 inch drive for the machine). This had a big impact on me, because here was a chance to play solitare games in a medium that was practically made for them. I'm talking about games like Infocom's Enchanter, Origin Systems' Ultima III, and Electronic Arts' M.U.L.E..
I don't know how I would've turned out if the religious right (and certain alarmist leftists as well) hadn't decided to turn their baleful gaze on Role Playing Games. What I do know is an activity which was practiced by a small minority of kids was suddenly characterized as evil by a powerful, populist political movement and I became one of the evil people because of my involvement in this activity. This was an assault on reason, lead by the likes of Sally Jesse Raphael and other media sensationalists. I cannot begin to tell you the impact having the media imply, seriously, that you are a Satanist has on a young, Roman Catholic altar boy, especially when this is picked up by the people in your community.
During this time, I also bought a few games from the company, Steven Jackson Games. I bought their Dracula game, Undead and their world conspiracy game, Illuminati plus its two supplements. I'll admit, I never got much into Steven Jackson Games in a big way, but I thought well of them. Then, something happened to SJ Games, a story which is best told by this link. In reading this story, I see a connection between all the forces of unreason. The anti-youth, anti-computer and anti-RPG sentiment all brought together in one massive illegal action on the part of our government. What people don't understand is that this relates, 100% to the quasi-mystical view of Role Playing Games held by the forces of unreason. Only in this case, instead of the spells of the D&D and Call of Cthuhlu being real, it was the computer "incantations" of G.U.R.P.S Cyberpunk that were thought to be "real" by the forces of anti-intellectualism and oppression.
Something good came out of the stormtrooper-like behavior of the United States Secret Service in this case, the foundation of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (see link). The EFF has gone on to fight many other battles in the world of computer communications, including the latest battle over the right to reverse engineer technology between the DVD Consortium and the people behind DeCSS. (Just by putting up this link, the DVD consortium would like you to think I'm breaking the law.) I urge people who believe in Liberty to support this organzation in whatever way they can. Remember, organizations like the EFF are often our last line of defense against the people who would try to subvert and undermine our constitutionally guaranteed rights.
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