04802nam 2201021 450 991081997810332120230807212330.00-520-28492-50-520-96056-410.1525/9780520960565(CKB)3710000000325552(EBL)1775219(OCoLC)899156911(SSID)ssj0001401741(PQKBManifestationID)12511202(PQKBTitleCode)TC0001401741(PQKBWorkID)11351439(PQKB)11570501(MiAaPQ)EBC1775219(DE-B1597)520385(DE-B1597)9780520960565(Au-PeEL)EBL1775219(CaPaEBR)ebr11003294(CaONFJC)MIL688032(EXLCZ)99371000000032555220150120h20152015 uy 0engurcnu||||||||txtccrDangerous games what the moral panic over role-playing games says about play, religion, and imagined worlds /Joseph P. LaycockOakland, California :University of California Press,2015.©20151 online resource (364 p.)Description based upon print version of record.1-322-56750-6 0-520-28491-7 Includes bibliographical references and index.Front matter --Contents --Preface. "You Worship Gods from Books!" --Introduction. Fantasy and Reality --1. The Birth of Fantasy Role-Playing Games --2. Dungeons & Dragons as Religious Phenomenon --3. Pathways into Madness: 1979-1982 --4. Satanic Panic: 1982-1991 --5. A World of Darkness: 1991-2001 --6. How Role-Playing Games Create Meaning --7. How the Imagination Became Dangerous --8. Rival Fantasies --Conclusion. Walking between Worlds --Notes --Bibliography --IndexThe 1980's saw the peak of a moral panic over fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons. A coalition of moral entrepreneurs that included representatives from the Christian Right, the field of psychology, and law enforcement claimed that these games were not only psychologically dangerous but an occult religion masquerading as a game. Dangerous Games explores both the history and the sociological significance of this panic. Fantasy role-playing games do share several functions in common with religion. However, religion-as a socially constructed world of shared meaning-can also be compared to a fantasy role-playing game. In fact, the claims of the moral entrepreneurs, in which they presented themselves as heroes battling a dark conspiracy, often resembled the very games of imagination they condemned as evil. By attacking the imagination, they preserved the taken-for-granted status of their own socially constructed reality. Interpreted in this way, the panic over fantasy-role playing games yields new insights about how humans play and together construct and maintain meaningful worlds. Laycock's clear and accessible writing ensures that Dangerous Games will be required reading for those with an interest in religion, popular culture, and social behavior, both in the classroom and beyond.Fantasy gamesMoral and ethical aspectsRole playingMoral and ethical aspectsDungeons and Dragons (Game)Moral and ethical aspectsalter egos.christian right.christianity.conspiracy theory.constructed world.dungeons and dragons.fan studies.fantasy games.fantasy.game theory.gaming.history.imagination.law enforcement.media.mental health.morality.nonfiction.occult.play theory.popular culture.psychology.religion.religious studies.role playing games.role playing.roleplaying.rpgs.social behavior.social theory.sociology.supernatural.Fantasy gamesMoral and ethical aspects.Role playingMoral and ethical aspects.Dungeons and Dragons (Game)Moral and ethical aspects.793.93 Laycock Joseph1980-1174867MiAaPQMiAaPQMiAaPQBOOK9910819978103321Dangerous games4111245UNINA