Season 1 · Episode 1
Panic, Dragons, and the Real Enemy, Housewives
The Arkin's Hearth · Michael J Chandler
February 15, 202645m 8sExplicit
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Show Notes
The Arkins Hearth podcast examines how the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 90s fueled false accusations and targeted Dungeons & Dragons. Media hysteria and cultural fears led to bans and ruined reputations, but no evidence ever linked the game to occultism or violence. Despite controversy, D&D adapted and grew into a symbol of creativity and community. Expert studies eventually debunked the panic. Today, the game reminds us that imagination can triumph over fear and misunderstanding.
References
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- Pazder, Lawrence & Michelle Smith. Michelle Remembers. St. Martin’s Press, 1980.
- Dear, William C. The Dungeon Master: The Disappearance of James Dallas Egbert III. Houghton Mifflin, 1984.
- Pulling, Patricia. The Devil’s Web: Who Is Stalking Your Children for Satan? Huntington House, 1984.
- Victor, Jeffrey S. Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend. Open Court, 1993.
- American Association of Suicidology. “Role-Playing Games and Suicide: A Report.” Washington, D.C., 1990.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Suicide and Role-Playing Games Report. Atlanta, 1990.
- Richardson, James T., Joel Best, and David Bromley. The Satanism Scare. Aldine de Gruyter, 1991.
- Laycock, Joseph P. Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic over Role-Playing Games Says About Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds. University of California Press, 2015.
- Goodman, David. “The Dungeons & Dragons Moral Panic.” The New York Times Magazine, 2020.