I have some bad news for players of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Final Fantasy, or anything based on Dungeons & Dragons: They destroy lives — at least according to Christian television personality Pat Robertson.
On a recent episode of The 700 Club (a Christian news program), Robertson answered a viewer’s letter about whether it is “safe for a Christian to enjoy video games that have magic in them.” Robertson doesn’t think it is, according to news site Raw Story.
“I think the idea is not how close can I get to danger, but how far away can I stay from it?” Robertson said about games. “I don’t know what game you’re talking about. I know there’s one called Dungeons & Dragons that literally destroyed people’s lives. I mean they got into this thing and it was almost like demonic.”
Dungeons & Dragons gained notoriety in 1980 when a player named James Dallas Egbert disappeared into the steam tunnels of Michigan State University. Many first claimed that his disappearance was due to his inability to tell reality from the fantasy world of the pen-and-paper role-playing game. Such claims were later proven false.
Still, some Christians believe that magic, the occult, and witchcraft are equivalent to worshiping Satan and oppose any fiction that includes magic on that ground.
“I dont’ know what game you’re talking about, but if it’s based on magic — the occult and that sort of thing — stay away from it,” said Robertson. “There are other games you can play, but don’t get into that. You say, is it wrong or not wrong? I just think we should flee from evil. Period.”
While Dungeons & Dragons was first a physical RPG, it spawned many video game titles. We’ve contacted The 700 Club to ask Robertson which cases he was referring to in his claim that D&D destroyed lives.
Photo credit: Oliver Douliery/WUPR