Welcome to 1985 when Dungeons and Dragons players were EVIL and FEARED rather than being considered geeks. Hey, the power to set demons on your classmates and cast curses on them should they cross your path surely was better than being picked on, right?
My friend Aaron went to a church that declared AD&D evil and they had an honest to good book burning and Aaron swore he heard the demons screaming as the books burned and I seriously had one of the larger WTF? moments of my life. Deoms possessing AD&D books? Seriously, what kind of church hears screaming demons as books burn?
I'm think that this was around 1987-1988 and the congregation is witnessing physical manifestations of demonic entities through book burning? If they'd thrown a Monopoly board on the fire would a little old man in a top hat start wailing?

Did they (meaning Pat Pulling and her BADDies) really not have anything more pressing? It's been pointed out in latter years that Ms. Pulling was very open about what she interpreted as a role playing game related death but back then she was a sort of 'authority on roleplaying games' and I tended to get blasted that AD&D would corrupt your soul and make you a demon worshipper rather than the 'causes suicide on contact'. I can't remember if Pulling was featrued on the 700 Club very special episode 'Dungeons and Dragons in pact with satan kills your children!!!!' but that has to be where I first heard of BADD. There were a lot of parents that bought into the witch hunt back then, I mean, you really couldn't easily research Bink Pulling's case yourself and had to kind of take the media for their word back then.

Sorry, came across this blog after posting on the video. Basically, I agree with the "Parents be Parents" idea. Nothing about D&D put that gun in those boy's hands. Nothing about D&D had them hiding under Tracks every day in order to play it. Parents, be Parents.

I can never watch these episodes all the way through. Usually about 5 minutes in my blood starts to boil from the small minded stupidity of people. And don't get me started on the wacko chock-full-o-nuts religious groups who think we're all demon worshipers for being role-players. Oooo now I'm all worked up!!