Court upholds ban on inmate playing Dungeons & Dragons http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/01/court-upholds-ban-on-inmate-playing-dungeons-and-dragons/1 The Volokh Conspiracy: 7th Circuit Upholds Prison Rule Forbidding Inmates to Play Dungeons and Dragons http://volokh.com/2010/01/25/7th-circuit-upholds-prison-rule-forbidding-inmates-to-play-dungeons-and-dragons/ Dungeons & Dragons: Timeline http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_History.asp GameSpy: Gary Gygax Interview http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/538/538817p1.html What Kind of D&D Character Would You Be? http://www.easydamus.com/character.html Depending on what type of prison an inmate is in, he or she may be allowed to lift weights, read various books, or watch television. One thing prisoners can no longer do in Wisconsin prisons is play Dungeons & Dragons. This Monday, a panel of judges of the United States Court of Appeals rejected the claims presented in a lawsuit that challenged a ban on the game established by the Waupun Correctional Institution. The suit was brought by Kevin T. Singer, who is serving a life sentence for stabbing his sister's boyfriend to death. Singer has been a "D&D enthusiast since childhood", and he claimed that his First Amendment and 14th Amendment rights were violated by the prison's existing ban on the game. The initial ban was instituted by the prison as officials felt that the game could "foster an inmate's obsession with escaping from the real-life correctional environment, fostering hostility, violence and escape behavior." In handing down their decision, the Court of Appeals in Chicago noted that there wasn't any direct evidence to suggest that individuals or groups were inspired to wreak havoc by playing such games, but they did note that the prison's decision seemed to be a valuable part of prison administration. The first link will take users to a news article from this Tuesday's New York Times about this recent decision. The second link leads to another article from the USA Today on the subject, and it also contains the complete text of the court's ruling. Moving on, the third link whisks visitors away to an engaging discussion of this ruling, courtesy of the well-regarded law blog, "The Volokh Conspiracy". The fourth link leads to a detailed timeline of Dungeons & Dragon history, along with its parent company, TSR Games. The fifth link features an interview with the late Gary Gygax, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons. The last link leads to a 129-question survey which will help you accurately determine which Dungeons & Dragons character you would likely play.