June Musings: Games of Loving Grace
Added 2021-06-01 22:05:55 +0000 UTCIn case you’re not familiar, Adam Curtis is a British documentarian who’s done several films that explore the ideas that underpin the world we live in. The Trap: What Happened to Our Dream of Freedom for example delves into the simplistic view of “freedom” we’ve arrived at, while The Century of the Self gets into the development of modern individualistic consumerism. It’s one of those things that the BBC makes but seemingly wants to keep secret from the rest of the world, so while you can watch his work on iPlayer in the UK, the rest of us have to watch it when someone decided to put it up on YouTube or Vimeo. There’s a lot of stuff in his work that points out events and ideas that are rarely mentioned yet vitally important to the shape of the world.
I mention that because this essay is what happened when I thought about D&D with a head full of Adam Curtis. I originally intended for it to be my contribution to an anthology of essays critical of D&D. I do still want to make that book happen, but I have no idea when I’ll have the time and energy to do it. In the meantime, feel free to give it a read. For the full effect put on some Brian Eno while you read.
