Ok, hypothetical situation:
Yet another gruesome murder has just been linked to gaming. Some insane kid who happened to play D&D and Vampire has killed his parents, aunt, and sister with a sword and ingested large quantities of their blood. The press is jumping all over this, and all the major newspapers are printing articles by so-called "experts" on the dangers of RPGs. 60 Minutes devoted a full hour to slamming roleplaying. Maybe some of your friends have been forbidden to play, maybe you don't really notice any effects other than the articles and TV programs about the "threat to today's youth, God's plans for all of us, and all decent people everywhere." But you know the public is being misled. Again.
Are you going to do anything about it?
Recently, there have been some grumblings against gaming advocacy. Actually, forget "recently," these grumblings have gone on for some time. (Anyone remember GUAVA? Gamers United Against Vigilante Action, aka "the RPGA taking a shot at CAR-PGa"?) So what I want to know is this: does anyone even care about defending the hobby anymore? Or are you willing to simply let the public think what others believe they should think, even if it means fewer gamers coming into the community and spending their cash on roleplaying products? Is there any point at all to gaming advocacy at this time, or should we just give up the fight and refrain from any kind of response to accusations against the hobby?
Again, in simpler terms: does anyone even care anymore?
You see things; and you say "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say "Why not?"
George Bernard Shaw
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