Can A Catholic Play Dungeons and Dragons?

It has been said that no one truly hates the Church, but many people hate what they believe the Church to be. For three decades, Dungeons and Dragons (abbreviated “D&D”) has been a source of controversy, and it’s history is confusing as it is complex. In addition to the prevalent stereotypes of players being socially inapt, our culture has linked D&D to everything from satanism and the occult to depression and suicide. This has in some cases resulted in mass fear and anger being directed at the game and its developers. There have even been calls for warning labels and age restrictions on D&D books and paraphernalia. Now, to be fair, the majority of these concerns come from persons who mean well but have been misguided. But as Catholics, we are called to make informed decisions about the things that we consume, including media. As 1 Thessalonians 5:21 tells us: “Examine everything carefully, hold fast to that which is good.” Additionally, those of us that are called to marriage are given the responsibility to teach our children to do the same. For these reasons, it is crucial that we examine them as they are and not merely what we have been told they are, always in light of what God has revealed through Scripture and Tradition. But many Catholics have simply rejected D&D outright out of fear or simply out of a lack of motivation to research it themselves. As someone who has dedicated his life to forming young people in the Catholic Faith, this concerns me. As a person who enjoys D&D, this concerns me. And so by this post, I hope to present the case for D&D through the perspective of the Church’s wisdom.

Perhaps the most common objection to D&D is the use of magic. We often cringe at words like “wizard” and “spellbook”, but this was not always the case. Consider the work of the great Catholic writer J.R.R. Tolkien. Heroes such as Gandalf the Grey who have been deeply loved by the Christian literary tradition call to question our knee-jerk reactions. Let me be clear: as it is understood in the real, physical world, recourse to magic is dangerous and not acceptable. But Tolkien’s Middle Earth is not the real world. In Middle Earth, magic is a preternatural force wielded by those chosen to do so by beings of a higher plane of existence (Tolkien expounds on this in The Silmarillion). It is a qualitatively different issue than the type of divination forbidden by the Catechism. This is the case because, it only makes sense in the context of this fictitious world. D&D takes this a step further. In the world of The Forgotten Realms (the setting of the majority of D&D) “magic” part of a natural force called “The Weave” which certain persons are able to manipulate through talent or study (directly comparable to “The Force” in Star Wars). This connection may seem arbitrary, but a quick review of some of the lore of D&D will reveal starling similarities with Tolkin’s imaginary world. As a matter of fact, the game’s creator, Gary Gygax, described himself in an interview as a “huge fan” of Tolkin’s works and describes them as having a “strong impact” on the game’s development. So strong, in fact, that it almost became the subject of a 1977 lawsuit when the copyright holders of Tolkin’s work insisted that the game was too similar to the Lord of the Rings and forced the writers to rename a number of the characters, creatures and races. Gygax claims that the similarities were intended to appeal to fans of the books, and I am not arguing that the on their own they should not be considered reason to approve the game. All that I am saying is that it is helpful for establishing context. 

Others point to the references that are made to “the gods” in D&D literature. At first glance, one might reasonably see a game featuring a pantheon of this type as going against the First Commandment. But if this is the case however, then a Catholic be equally quick to spurn other works that contain infighting between similar beings of immense power. This is exactly the premise for Shakespeare’s the Tempest, as well as A Midsummer Night’s Dream (and The Avengers for that matter). Consider this: there are many fictitious creatures in the world of D&D. These created beings of immense power would not even be the strangest thing in a world that features sentient rugs and talking fire, and they in no way take the place of “the First Mover” that we know through our philosophical Tradition to be the Triune God.

Many of the other fears associated with D&D is nothing more than the result of bad press, and could be alleviated by simple investigation. Regarding the supposed connections to the occult, the myth that D&D is used as a recruiting tool by satanic organizations came from a story told in a comic book style tract published by Jack Chick Publications. Beyond this story there is literally nothing to connect the two. This is not to say that it cannot happen, but there is currently no evidence to suggest that it does. As to the trustworthiness of this source, it has also produced multiple books, tracts, and blog posts accusing Catholics of being pagans using much the same reasoning. This is a group that mocks the Eucharist, calls Marian devotion idol worship, and claims that Satan himself founded the papacy to lead the early Christians astray. Now, none of this is to say that they are incapable of getting anything right, but a Catholic should approach them with scrutiny. 

The supposed connections to suicide were promulgated by a one-woman organization called “Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons” or “B.A.D.D.” The story of how B.A.D.D. came into existence is a long and sad one of a grieving mother, a well-meaning sheriff, and a 60 Minutes piece. It isn’t difficult to find and there is no need to retell it here. But suffice to say that the impact was widespread. Films were even made in which people have psychotic episodes as a result of the game. However, the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Association of Suicidology, Health and Welfare Canada, and a peer-reviewed study published in Psychiatric Quarterly have all, after extensive research, found no connection between suicide or mental illness and roleplaying games like D&D. Far be it from me to stand in judgement over a parent trying to make sense of the loss of a child, particularly to suicide. The fact remains however that the research that was undertaken by B.A.D.D. was extremely lacking, and that the conclusions have been proven incorrect on multiple occasions by credible sources. 

At the end of the day, this is about more than D&D. Consider for a moment the human cost of this misinformation. Consider the unevangelized community of players who, told repeatedly that their hobbies are satanic, are driven away from the Christian faith, believing it to be only a judgmental group who arbitrarily declares things immoral with no actual ability to explain why beyond “such and such a speaker told me it was satanic.” Despite the fact that the greatest source of material for D&D is the writings of a well-known Catholic Author (including the race of the Halflings and the popular character role of Ranger, both of which are taken directly from Lord of the Rings), despite the fact that the entire concept of character alignments flies in the face of moral relativism by presupposing an objective moral right and wrong that is independent of anyone person’s opinion, despite the fact that the very act of playing the game is ordered to patiently building and maintaining community, despite the fact that it withstands the test of determining the morality of an action outlined in the Summa Theologica and Catechism of the Catholic Church 1750 (Catholic Stand has an excellent article explaining this), many still place the game on par with tarot cards and ouija boards.

As with any pastime, there is such a thing as healthy concern. Yes, when taken to it’s ridiculous extreme, like any other good thing, it is harmful. But that is the result of neglecting the virtue of temperance and is not specific to D&D. Yes, it is is entirely within the power if the Dungeon Master (the lead storyteller and referee) to write a campaign that involves things contrary to Catholic values, as any witter may. But the solution to this is not to spurn D&D, it’s just a gaming system. Rather, address the person who is misusing it, and if necessary, cease playing with them. Yes, the flexibility of the gameplay can facilitate objectionable themes. This is because D&D in and of itself isn’t a game, it is a system for playing games. The content will reflect the imagination of the player. Shall we say that little children shouldn’t play cowboys? After all, there is as much potential for them to play as Billy the Kid as there is for them to elect to be The Lone Ranger instead. Shall we say that Catholic authors should refrain from writing fiction? After all, one could just as easily produce The Golden Compass as you could The Chronicles of Narnia. No we should not. We should not teach people to run and hide from the good things in life simply because they could be abused. Rather, we should form them to be able to appreciate these things in a manner consistent with what we as a community of faith believe, and ultimately to use them as instruments for the building of the Kingdom of God.

I’m not saying that everyone needs to play D&D. I personally think it’s wonderful. I also think scotch and cigars are wonderful, but you don’t need to join me and my friends for that if it doesn’t ring your bell. Furthermore, a parent should subject something to heavy scrutiny before giving it the proverbial green light, and I am by no means arguing that an exception be made for D&D. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t hold it under pain of sin or as a matter of faith. And many people do exactly this even though the Magisterium has never spoken on it. Some examinations of conscience written in the past few years have counted it as a violation of the First Commandment. I’m not kidding, that’s how deep this bias has run. It is my hope that in light of the information presented here that the reader will make an honest assessment of this game and others like it. If you disagree with my evaluation, that’s fine. I will of course wholeheartedly believe you to be wrong until I myself am proven to be so. But at least we’re talking about it, rather than simply dismissing it out of hand. Regardless of how you feel about it, so long as the Church remains silent on this topic, you should reach your conclusion in the way that Christ has taught us to: through the use of reason enlightened by faith. In closing, I’ll leave you with a bit of wisdom from G.K. Chesterton:

“Idolatry is committed, not merely by the setting up of false gods, but also by the setting up of false devils; by making men afraid of war or alcohol or economic law, when they should be afraid of spiritual corruption and cowardice.”  

-G.K.C.

God bless you, and happy adventuring.