What game saw sales jump in the ‘80s when it created a moral panic?
The best way to make kids interested in something is to make it sound dangerous.
We’ve seen this time and time again, from music to movies to toys and beyond. We even have a name for it: the Streisand effect, named for the time a lawyer for Barbara Streisand tried to suppress a photograph of her house from getting out — and in the process drawing way more attention to it than it ever would have received.
And the number one source of the Streisand effect? Panicked parents. It doesn’t take much to spook them, and things haven’t changed with the internet era (anyone remember the Momo Challenge hoax?). Back in the ‘80s, parents would get in an outrage about any new thing that came out while simultaneously smoking at the airport after having driven around with no seatbelt on.
One game in particular really caused a stir, but in the end the fervor only served to boost sales. Which game was it?
Click START below to answer.
▼
The answer is: Dungeons & Dragons. There would be plenty of moral panic to come around video games, but in the early ‘80s it was pointed towards D&D, claiming it pushed kids towards things like Satanism. But the efforts to squash the game only gave it more attention, and as the New York Times noted, players went from the thousands into the millions.Source
Share This Trivia
Want More Nostalgia?
Check out our other quizzes and random trivia questions!
More Trivia
- Which band’s lead singer was known for his "Lizard King" persona?
- Which legendary director voiced Unicron in "The Transformers: The Movie"?
- What song earned Will Smith his first Grammy award?
- In "The Big Lebowski," what is The Dude’s signature drink?
- Which alien movie is NOT a remake?
- What was the name of Tony Danza's character in "Taxi"?
- What was the first anime series broadcast in the U.S.?
- Who holds the record for the most home runs in MLB history?