It was a crazy year for role-playing game controversies. A fantasy heartbreaker took on "the big boys" in the publishing industry to much fanfare; a fitness magazine attacked geeks at a geeky convention; and a blind date with a high-profile geek went horribly awry.
- Atlantasia is released to much fanfare: The retro-style role-playing game, Realms of Atlantasia, is announced with a press release by its creator who plans to take on "the big boys" in the gaming industry. Questions are raised about who owns the rights to the cover art and claims that the game sold over 250,000 copies.
- Red Cross discusses penalties for violent gaming: The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement raised concerns about whether violence in gaming should be regulated by humanitarian laws.
- Frank Miller slams Occupy Wall Street protestors: The Dark Knight author tells them to go back to their basements to play "Lords of Warcraft."
- Men's Fitness mocks cosplayers: The health magazine used its press pass to New York Comic Con to take pictures of unsuspecting con-goers…and then made fun of their looks on the Internet. The Internet responded.
- Monte Cook rejoins Wizards: When asked if the legendary 3rd Edition game designer was working on 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, Wizards replied that there will be no interviews about the subject until 2012. So that means…
- Dragon*Con founder violates parole: Accused pedophile Ed Kramer was found in Milford, CT hotel with an underage boy.
- Joe Elliott slams critics: Def Leppard's Joe Elliott tells his critics to go back to eating Doritos and playing Dungeons & Dragons in their mom's basements.
- The geeky date gone horribly awry: Journalist Alyssa Bereznak went on a blind date with Magic: The Gathering pro Jon Finkel. A boring date turned ugly on the Internet when Bereznak used Gizmodo as a platform to blast Finkel for being a geek.
- Paizo vs. Wizards: Paizo Publishing's Pathfinder role-playing game takes the lead in sales over Wizards of the Coast's 4th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons.
- School board tries to ban D&D: A Texas high school's board considered banning a Dungeons & Dragons club because it "promotes death and violence."
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