I'm baffled by this court decision, since when is Dungeons and Dragons "gang activity?"

[Archae]

:shrug:

WAUPUN, Wis. -- A man serving life in prison for first-degree intentional homicide has lost his legal battle to play Dungeons and Dragons behind bars.

Kevin Singer filed a lawsuit against officials at Wisconsin's Waupun Prison after a policy prevented him from playing the video game.

A court ruled that the prison could eradicate all Dungeons and Dragons game materials after concerns that playing it promoted gang-related activity.

Singer argued that his First Amendment rights were being violated.

But, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals ruled the prison's policy was reasonable.

http://www.wisn.com/news/22341635/detail.html

[MercutioATC]

1. Since when is Dungeons and Dragons a "video game"?

[dbonds]

4. There is the MMORPG version

http://www.ddo.com

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. Can't go there - I'm at work.

does that use 3rd Ed. rules or 4th Ed.?

[dbonds]

11. From the site

Dungeons & Dragons Online™ is based on version 3.5 of Dungeons & Dragons®, the roleplaying game that started it all.

Its a free to play mmorpg with microtransactions for enhanced play.

[csziggy]

17. There were some AD&D computer games out for a while

But it was not at all successful. Mr. csziggy has played AD&D for decades and bought the computer game. Let's see - here it is "Eye of the Beholder" Legend Series Fantasy Role-Playing Saga, Vol. 1, Strategic Simulations, Inc , copyrighted by TSR, Inc in 1990. An Official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Computer Product. It is so old, it is on 3.5" floppies and uses VGA graphics. In the box Mr. csziggy also has stored Eye of the Beholder II (1991), Shattered Lands (1993), Unlimited Adventures (1993), and Dungeon Hack (1993) - all AD&D computer games or computer products.

He also had a beta version of a character generator he downloaded from somewhere but it was buggy and there was virtually no support for it.

[YOY]

23. He can down load the goldbox series for free on Home of the Underdogs.

If he wants some real fun have him play the Baldur's Gate series.

[MercutioATC]

24. Yes, but is THAT what they were playing in prison??

I was under the impression they were using the paper and dice version.

[dbonds]

25. The article said video game... that is the most current one.

[MercutioATC]

26. I think the writer was confused. From an earlier article:

"This went on for more than two years, until 2004 when prison officials confiscated his role playing books and tools."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/01/26/2010-01-26_inmate_loses_appeal_to_play_dungeon__dragons_game_considered_threat_to_prison_se.html

[Fleshdancer]

27. and it's a very fun game n/t

[dbonds]

2. Well you do group up to kill dragons???

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. Only if you are still on the Hero levels - you should be able to take on a small one

at Paragon level.

[sabbat hunter]

3. it is attack of the nerds!!

I better warn all my friends.

[meegbear]

5. With the Geeks and the Dweebs running amok in federal penitentiaries, something had to be done

[Vattel]

18. lol n/t

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

6. Anything that's even slightly pleasant to inmates makes Nordic Baby Jesus cry.

No matter how trivial.

[backscatter712]

30. Nordic Baby Jesus... Did he grow up to be Jeezus?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

32. Love the graphic! Here's a more legible size:

[WeDidIt]

7. That's not what the judge found, it's what the prison argued

The judge found that prisons are supposed to punish and taking away a game can be adequately defined as part of that punishment.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

12. That's what I said, in other words. -nt

[Jkid]

13. Yes, but the actual argument was that the game mechanics

has groups that are similar to prison gangsterism.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. It's NEVER been gang activity.

It's WITCHCRAFT, you dummies.

[Renew Deal]

22. lol

:rofl:

[lame54]

14. The gang of geeks

[MinneapolisMatt]

15. He should have thought about that

before he stabbed his sister's boyfriend to death.

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-91521045.html

:eyes:

[YOY]

21. He's already in jail for the rest of his life for that.

You wanna deny him a pack of cards too, tough guy?


Maybe put him in a cell with no human contact for the duration of his sentence?

That'll make everything better!

Pray tell what do you think the penal system is for? Reform? Retribution? or perhaps some sort of oubliette where we can shove people who fucked up to supposedly reform in a situation that promotes more punishment than actual reform?

[undeterred]

31. Punish him.

Make him work in a call center taking complaints 40 hours a week.

[Warpy]

16. Some damn preacher probably complained

that it was taking time away from reading the babble and getting religion.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

19. Apparently prison inmates have long been a part of the D&D consumer audience.

According to some articles in Dragon magazine before they went under. Apparently in one case an inmate's Dragon magazine was confiscated because "it contained maps."

Anyway, I think in this case it was the warden being the dick, and the court just decided that it was the warden's right to be a dick.

[LeftyMom]

20. They probably have a blanket rule about dice.

A role-playing game with a diceless system would probably be fine. I mean, you can't really ban imagining.

[Johonny]

28. You clearly never saw the Tom Hanks MOVIE

I was on the 3rd level of dungeons and dragons and now there's blood on my hands.

[Javaman]

29. Personally, I welcome our new D&D gang overlords.

I have my 20 sided die right here! (childish giggle of anticipation)