BADD

The ever-popular Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game is ever-present in toy stores and department stores. This game is nothing more than an introduction to the occult. Fantasies the players involve and indulge themselves in include murder, rape, arson, pillage, [sic] terrorism, brutal torture, etc. Kids also take on the names of actual demons. "Bothered about Dungeons and Dragons" (BADD) were an organization founded by Patricia Pulling. The organization was founded after Pulling's son Irving "Bink" Pulling committed suicide in 1982. It continued until she died in 1997.

Pulling blamed her son's suicide on Dungeons and Dragons, saying her son was "cursed" in the game shortly before his death. She filed a lawsuit against her son's high school principal and a wrongful death lawsuit against the publishers of the game shortly thereafter. Both of the lawsuits were dismissed.

In 1984, BADD was formed. Its targets were:

In its heyday, BADD spread to Canada, England, and Australia, as well as giving lectures across the United States. It presented itself as a referral system for anyone concerned about violent entertainment.

Although BADD obtained some success and support from the church, even serving as legal counsel and eyewitness testimony in gaming-related lawsuits, it has largely been debunked. Based on Pulling's estimates, around 500 gamers would commit suicide a year. The actual number BADD documented is around 7 gaming-related suicides a year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control later declared no causal link between fantasy gaming and suicide.

Most of Pulling's points and ideas (not to mention credentials) were well and truly ripped to pieces by sci-fi writer Michael Stackpole:

In 1989, Pulling authored a screed entitled The Devil's Web: Who Is Stalking Your Children For Satan? The book describes how children and young adults are supposedly stalked and recruited by satanic cults, and includes descriptions of all kinds of vicious crimes attributed to the worship of Satan. The book implies that heavy metal and black metal music, fantasy role playing games, and horror media contribute to the exploitation of children by "criminal cults."

In 1997, Pulling died of cancer and BADD faded from memory.