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> A rebuttal to Michael Prabhu and the Metamorphose website
A rebuttal to
Michael Prabhu and the Metamorphose website
A few years ago, I discovered a website titled "Metamorphose," hosted
at www.ephesians-511.net. It is the website of a
Catholic ministry based in India, and it boasts a collection of many
.doc files on various subjects that the keeper of the site, Michael
Prabhu, considers dangerous to the spiritual lives of
Catholics - things like meditation, yoga, color therapy, divination,
and many other New Age types of activities.
I discovered this site because it makes mention of my website, in two
different document files - Toys
R Not Us and New
Age Children's Entertainment - both about the alleged
dangers of certain children's toys and popular games. As I read these
two documents, I discovered a lot of claims about the nature and
purpose of my site that are untrue. Therefore, I have prepared this
rebuttal to the claims made by Mr. Prabhu on his ministry website, in
the interest of setting the record straight.
In a nutshell, Mr. Prabhu makes the following claims about
thescapist.com and the advocacy work that I do here:
- That theescapist.com is an anti-Christian website
- That I have no concern one way or the other over whether fantasy
games are dangerous for young people
- That I mock "Christian concerns about fantasy"
- That by posting the articles about murders and suicides that have
been connected to RPGs, I am supporting the claim that these games are
dangerous
I CARE - I REALLY DO!
Rather than paraphrase Mr.
Prabhu's words, I would like to quote each
of his statements
directly.
First, from "
New
Age Children's Entertainment,"
For a host of
reasons, parents, educators, law makers, psychiatrists and others are
greatly
concerned about Pokémon, and not just Pokémon alone, but the entire
sub-culture that the
related anime, manga, RPGs etc. sustain and promote.
We will learn these reasons while reading through the following series
of news items and
articles, some of them Christian, others secularly neutral, and yet
others from
gaming advocacy [i.e. pro- Pokémon] sites- some of which defend the
role-playing games
against accusations and criticisms, but others - like theescapist.com
which
really couldn’t care less.
First, a brief history lesson - the
Magic: The Gathering
and
Pokémon
collectible card games were both wildly popular in the early years of
this website's history, and both were drawing lots of attention from
concerned parents and religious groups alike. Lots of claims were made
about the dangers that these two games could present to players -
claims that bore a striking resemblance to the claims made about
Dungeons & Dragons
and other RPGs. The fact that both of these card games were produced by
the same company that owned the
D&D
brand was even more fuel for their fire. For these reasons, I used to
include stories about CCGs here on the site, confronting the myths and
addressing the concerns just as I did for roleplaying games. Since the
CCG craze has died out in the passing years, I have narrowed the focus
of the site once more to promoting the roleplaying hobby.
Now,
to Mr. Prabhu's comment about the site. For some reason, he has the
impression that my site is simply a collection of articles about crimes
related to fantasy games, and that I "couldn't care less" about whether
these games are bad for the players or not. Perhaps he hasn't browsed
the old
Advocacy page archives
to see my commentary on these stories, or read
the
main FAQ page,
where I explain the nature of these games and address the concerns
directly. Maybe if he had, he wouldn't have this impression of the site.
Here's
the truth: I do care. I would never endorse a game that was dangerous
for young people. I have no reason to. I would get no benefit from
it. I do, however, happen to be a huge fan of young
people,
and I know from firsthand experience that many of them enjoy fantasy
games. I also have firsthand experience that games like Dungeons &
Dragons, Magic:
The Gathering and Pokémon
are great for developing strategy, problem solving, teamwork, and
social skills, all of which are beneficial to young people.
The
website www.theescapist.com/archives.htm* - a gaming-advocacy webpage,
itself lists gaming-related violence from assault and robbery to
suicide and murder
...and, in
a rational, level-headed manner, examines the claims that those crimes
are in any way actually gaming-related. (You forgot this part, Mr.
Prabhu!)
QUOTE MINING, AND WHY IT'S BAD
It
is violent. A gaming advocacy site, theescapist.com admits, “Hardly a
game of D&D transpires without a blade or bowstring being
drawn.”
Here,
Mr. Prabhu does a bit of "quote-mining" - a deceptive practice in which
a person's own words are turned against them. This is a quote from the
paper I wrote in 1995 that would eventually grow into this website: Roleplaying Games: The Stigmas and
Benefits.
Mr. Prabhu leaves out a whole lot of context
surrounding
this quote. If you don't have the time to read the paper, I'll
summarize for you: This part of the paper was discussing how all of us
have participated in play violence as children (playing cops and
robbers), how fantasy violence isn't necessarily bad for you, how many
people consider Karate-based self-esteem programs - which involve
actually hitting real people as opposed to pretending to - to be
positive for children, and, most importantly, that fantasy games like Dungeons & Dragons
can easily have the violence "turned down," since the players and
gamemaster control the story - unlike
any other form of entertainment.
You can easily see why Mr. Prabhu chose to leave
all of that context out. It would have completely defused his point.
Quote
mining is a particularly annoying practice to cope with, as it usually
requires a lot of rebuttal to correct. Allow me to
demonstrate:
"The Escapist
... a
gaming advocacy site, established 1995 - is one of the best sources of
general information available on role-playing games and related
issues." - Michael Prabhu, "Metamorphose" (www.ephesians-511.net)
While
this quote is direct from the author (I only edited out the word
"Archives" from the title), it doesn't accurately express what was
being said. I would be proud to put such a glowing review on the front
page of the site, but I won't, because what's missing is the context:
“THE
ESCAPIST ARCHIVES”- A GAMING ADVOCACY SITE, ESTABLISHED 1995 -IS ONE OF
THE BEST SOURCES OF GENERAL INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON ROLE-PLAYING GAMES
AND RELATED ISSUES.
“THE
ESCAPIST” IS ALSO PRO- RPG AND ANTI-CHRISTIAN. AFTER MUCH DELIBERATION,
I DECIDED TO INCLUDE IN THIS ARTICLE INFORMATION FROM “THE ESCAPIST
ARCHIVES” THAT I BELIEVE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF
THE COMPLEX ISSUES OF THE GAMING SCENARIO.
A FEW
REFERENCES HAVE BEEN TAKEN ROM THIS SITE FOR INCLUSION IN THE
MAIN ARTICLE ABOVE.
THE
READER IS ONCE AGAIN REMINDED TO BEAR IN MIND THAT MOST OF THE
OBSERVATIONS, VIEWS, AND CONCLUSIONS BY THE OWNER OF THIS WEB PAGE WILL
OPPOSE THE CHRISTIAN WORLD VIEW AS WELL AS THE POSITION OF THE SECULAR
ANTI-GAMING LOBBIES. HOWEVER, AS WE WILL SEE, THE SITE SIMPLY CANNOT
HIDE THE DARK TRUTHS ABOUT THE DOWN SIDE OF GLADIATORIAL GAMING !
Here,
Mr. Prabhu begins shouting to us about my site. Since all-caps text
makes my head hurt, I will try to quickly address the main contention I
have with this wall of text.
The
Escapist is not an anti-Christian site. I have always made
every
effort to respect the religious beliefs of others in my work here.
Anyone who doubts this should look here
and here
- two answers on the basic FAQ page that all are encouraged to read
when they first visit the site. Those answers would be very different
indeed, if this were an anti-Christian website. The front page of the
site even hosts links to the Christian
Gamers Guild and Fans
For Christ (and is linked to from them, as well) - something
that would not likely be seen with an anti-Christian site.
I
am aware that some would view the site as anti-Christian in the "either
with us or against us" sense, that it is not specifically a
PRO-Christian site - in much the same way that a site about crocheting,
softball, or the Fender vs. Gibson debate would also be considered
anti-Christian. I'm not really interested in entering into a discussion
with that sort of mindset. It's wrong, period.
And what in the world is "gladitorial gaming?" I don't think I've ever
heard that term used before.
BACK
TO THE QUOTE MINES!
From
there, Mr. Prabhu does something very deceptive and dishonest. He
copies large portions of my website, including the aforementioned
paper, and edits out the parts that do not support his opinion. For
example, a section of the Stigmas
and Benefits paper mentioned the possible downsides of
roleplaying
games and collectible card games - they can be addictive, expensive,
and there are a few on the market that are graphic and may use occultic
themes. (By the way - this, Mr. Prabhu, is called being objective.)
But the paragraph after that
one, in which I explain how most hobbies are just as addictive and
expensive, and how the violence and occult issues can always be changed
to suit the players' needs, is absent from his exerpt.
Again,
this is another example of quote mining. Patricia Pulling, the mother
of a boy who killed himself in 1983 and who would begin a campaign to
hold Dungeons &
Dragons responsible for his death, used to do the same
thing in her anti-D&D
literature (for an example, visit the FAQ
page). It is dishonest, underhanded, and often illegal.
Mr.
Prabhu, what you have done here is wrong. It is a bearing of false
witness, and I'm certain if you check your Bible, you'll find that
there's a commandment against such things - check Exodus 20:16. While
you have it open, have a look at Leviticus 19:11, Deuteronomy 5:20,
Proverbs 12:22, Ephesians 4:25 (just one chapter in front of your
website's namesake), and Revelation 21:8.
The page continues to
snip text from various parts of the archived articles, with some choice
words of text highlighted in red and with any opposing viewpoint
carefully cropped out (please check those verses again, Mr. Prabhu!).
He quotes a story from the Stephanie Crowe murder, but leaves out the
story about how the crime was committed by a local transient, and not
her gamer brother and his friends. He does the same with the Jason Blad
case, quoting the original crime and the attempted connections to
role-playing, but leaving out the story where Blad admitted that he was
inspired by Marine recon training.
Rebutting the whole of this
would take a very long time and be of interest to no one - all that I
can do is suggest that if you are looking at a particular part of this
document and would like to read the full, unabridged story, please try
to find it in my website's
archives.
If you need assistance, I would be glad to help - just
drop me an email and I'll do
what I can for you.
TOYS R NOT US
That pretty much wraps it up for the first document.The
second document, "
Toys
R Not Us," makes one brief mention of the site:
In the preceding article, we
have discussed fantasy gaming. In the
additional fourteen pages which are posted on the website [page nos. 39
to 52] we have seen newspaper reports of the gruesome murders,
suicides, vampirism and sexual attacks that resulted from fantasy
becoming reality. That they were unashamedly posted by an
anti-Christian gaming advocacy website only underlines the extent to
which some minds have been depraved. Those reports from www.theescapist.com
were only a selection. It carried many others that mocked Christian
concerns about fantasy, with special reference to fantasy RPGs. Such
people believe that fantasy is harmless. By turning those fantasies
inward, indulging in them, we will actually come to no harm, they say.
Yet, their own site contradicts their argument.
There is a lot to cover in this brief mention, however - so I'm going
to have to break it into parts.
"...we have seen newspaper
reports of the gruesome murders,
suicides, vampirism and sexual attacks that resulted from fantasy
becoming reality. That they were unashamedly posted by an
anti-Christian gaming advocacy website only underlines the extent to
which some minds have been depraved."
The articles
that I
"unashamedly" link to and archive are put here
to point out the problems of blaming a game for emotional and
psychological problems. The suicides, murders, and other crimes that I
report on here are all terrible, and I never enjoy finding new ones -
but I'm also troubled when people who are desperate for answers and
closure (or in some cases, eager to collect tithes or sell something)
point to a game as the sole, root cause of corruption.
From
reading this, a person would likely think that the only articles
covered on this site are about murder, suicide, and other crimes
connected to gamers. It doesn't take a lot of clicking to find articles
on the benefits of roleplaying in schools,
libraries,
and the military,
interviews
with gamers (many of whom are Christians), gamers and game
companies doing charity
work,
and much more positive promotion of the hobby. But then, if Mr. Prabhu
pointed these out, it wouldn't help his case very much. It's much more
convenient to simply pretend they don't exist.
It carried many others that
mocked Christian
concerns about fantasy, with special reference to fantasy RPGs.
One of my favorite ways to get a
point across is through humor. You will see examples of it in this very
rebuttal, in fact - and
there is no better way to expose a crazy idea for what it is than by
mocking it. You won't find me mocking anyone's religion here, but you
will see the occasional mocking of ideas like "Dungeons & Dragons teaches
children how to cast real occult spells" and "roleplaying
games are an indoctrination tool for Masonic Satan-worshipping cultist
vampires." Those are the types of crazy ideas that
need to be mocked, not spread as gospel truth.
As for
discussing real, actual Christian concerns about fantasy, check the FAQ
page again, where you'll find that I conduct myself with much
more maturity.
Such
people believe that fantasy is harmless. By turning those fantasies
inward, indulging in them, we will actually come to no harm, they say.
Fantasy, for the most part, is
harmless. I'm not sure what "turning
those fantasies inward" is supposed to mean (and I have my suspicions
that it really means nothing), but all of us played make-believe
as children. Many adults still do it - professionals role-play
to
better understand their clients and customers, police and the
military
role-play to help prepare themselves for hostile situations, actors and
actresses role-play to better portray their characters. Recreational
role-play is no worse than any of these things.
There are
some who bring pre-existing problems to all of these situations. There are some who honestly
believe that they are vampires, and may even bring that to a
game with them beforehand. That doesn't make the
role-playing dangerous, nor does it mean that no one else should be
allowed to play.
Yet, their own site contradicts
their argument.
I
am amazed at this statement. It's one of the biggest examples of
someone totally missing the point that I have ever
seen. Posting
and archiving the
articles here does not contradict the argument, it supports it.
Consider again the case of Stephanie
Crowe,
a young girl murdered in her home by a local transient, whose brother
and his friend were blamed for the crime based on a coerced confession
that both played Dungeons
& Dragons. Or the first
ever suicide to be blamed on Dungeons
& Dragons, that of James
Dallas Egbert,
which was really the story of a confused, troubled child. The
investigator hired to find him used a game as a smokescreen to
protect his family from rumors and gossip (and inadvertently gave a
kickstart to the entire myth that roleplaying games are evil and
dangerous).
Consider
all of the other articles that are archived here, that attempt to make
the link between fantasy games and crime. Blaming a game for these
terrible acts not only propagates an untruth, it clouds our vision when
looking for real answers in the future.
IN CONCLUSION
Mr.
Prabhu, it appears from the comments on your site that you have an
impression of me as a depraved man who gleefully collects articles on
murders and suicides, promotes games that help destroy lives,
and
hates Christians and Christianity. If you were to meet me in person,
you would find this to be very far from the truth. In fact, I would
even go so far as to suggest that if you looked around my website a bit
more, rather than scanning for articles to quote mine, you would get a
much more accurate picture of the kind of person that I am.
I
certainly cannot control what you put on your website, and I would
never want to. I also happen to be a huge fan of free
speech, and that includes all speech, no matter how mistaken,
misguided, or misleading it may be. The greatest thing about free
speech is that it works both ways - you do not get to control what I
put on my site, either. I have included a link to this rebuttal on
every page of my site that you have linked to in your two documents.
Everyone who comes to my site from yours, no matter what page they
enter from, will have an opportunity to hear my side of the story and
judge for themselves.
Since
my side of the story is free from conjecture, superstition,
paranoia, baseless accusations, and quote mining, I am
confident
that the more rationally-minded among your readers will realize that
the truth is here.
Thank you for
your time.