It's out. Talk about it.

Regarding media involving tabletop game(s/rs) - web comics are probably worth note. Order of the Stick in particular has been fairly successful, and is heavily based in D&D, while maintaining a pretty solid quality. With that said, I would argue that the vast majority of game or gamer centered stuff is just terrible, for numerous reasons.

I'd also argue that media shapes beliefs, and those beliefs shape action - however, they do so within the framework of a much larger culture which has other elements doing the exact same thing, and media is comparatively minor. Jack Thompson level "this videogame causes violence" claims they are very nearly completely bullshit. Sure, some videogames contribute to a particular concept of what violence is that people internalize to a tiny extent that shapes a culture that is slightly more inclined to violence, but that's about it. Non-media cultural elements are going to be far larger, and any direct causal claim to a piece of media, or even a specific cultural element is a sign of lying or stupidity.

I wanted to mention the Community episode while I was listening, so I was glad you brought it up. Yes, they were playing because one guy was thinking about suicide, but they were playing the game as something life affirming.

Troy and Abed (in the morning) also have a room made up like a holodeck in their appartment where they can have imginary adventures, and regularly cosplay as their favourite tv characters.

Although its not officially connected All the books by Rick Riordan cold be considered gamer books. They all seem to be loosely based on White Wolf's Syon. Yes, they are more or less kids books but they are vary well written and lets you get a good idea of the mythology based in modern times.

IDW is publishing a generic D&D brand comic as well as a Dark Sun comic. They're... bland. DC published Spelljammer and Forgotten Realms comics in the '80s.

Pretty much every nerd-centric television series including The IT Crowd has had a D&D-centric episode. However the IT Crowd's take on it didn't so much poke fun at gamers as it was a vehicle for a depressed character to get over a bad break-up. I still think The Big Bang Theory is stupid and one-note and people TOTALLY think that's how geek-culture people behave. When I admit to playing RPGs I always get the "oh are you like the guys on BBT?" to which I reply, "no, I'm not autistic."

Monster Camp and The Dungeon Masters were fairly balanced views of the hobby - however in order to tell an actual story there needed to be an emphasis on problems and tragedy so there is an exploration of that. But at the same time many of those profiled seemed normal to me.

The Shadowrun video game was crap - any sane SR player will agree.

Resetting the count means losing Wayne and Pat?

... That means we get dawn back in about thirteen episodes, then.

Hmm... it also means John's going to go away in about thirteen episodes.

Gah, the tradeoffs, they hurt my brain! I can't decide what I want more.


You know, I've got to agree with Chad: I also love election fraud.

I could not possibly disagree more with your assessment of IDWs D&D comic. The comic has great art, and the dialog between characters is exactly how dialog at a gaming table goes, with ball busting and humor in the face of great adversity. It is role playing condensed into a comic. Not fantasy, but role playing. I don't know what comic you are reading, and I would recommend it to anyone who got even a tiny bit of enjoyment out of any of the other gaming media items mentioned in this show.

I don't disagree with the Darksun book, because I didn't read any of it past issue zero. I don't have enough information to make that judgement.

Chad mentioned Downton Abbey, which I love! I do fear though, its stereotypical portrayals of it's characters has unduly influenced my opinion of the Edwardian English aristocracy.

Maybe. But I was looking for a good fantasy comic based on D&D properties not a transposition of game-table tics. Outside of the urban fantasy of Neil Gaiman it's hard to find good high fantasy comics. Most of the good sword and sorcery tales I've read have been published in Heavy Metal/Metal Hurlant.

Shadowrun has 20 years worth of published continuity and would be the perfect vehicle for a comic book - there's lots of cross-appeal. However all we have are some forgettable computer games and (with the exception of 2XS which was awesome) dull tie-in novels.

Warhammer 40K has some awesome comics written by Dan Abnett and published by BOOM!.

Yes! That's exactly what I was trying to say during the episode, and you did a much better job than I did. Entertainment shapes perception. However, many things shape perception, and so that does not mean entertainment triggers actions based on those perceptions.

Heck, most of the perceptions we have aren't acted on, anyway. How many people despise a particular group (race, religion, gender, whatever) versus go out with a gun to fix the "problem"?

Another example I thought of after the fact was Star Trek. Gene Roddenberry said in no uncertain terms that the goal of Star Trek was to effect social change through his stories. Nichelle Nichols even said to him once, "You're trying to tell parables," (or something like that) to which he assented.

How many scientists say they were inspired by Star Trek? What significance did its first interracial kiss have? Or having a crew (right on the heels of WW2 and the midst of the Cold War) that included Russian and Japanese officers?

I'm not saying entertainment is like mind control, but it's certainly a grain of sand somewhere in the balance of your worldview. The mind abhors a vacuum, and when you don't know much about a group or subject, we subconsciously use entertainment to fill in those blanks. As I noted on the show, why do you think people believe guns pick up and throw people, hand grenades produce a wall of fire, or diving planes scream like a Stuka's siren?