Dangerous games : what the moral panic over role-playing games says about play, religion, and imagined worlds / Joseph P. Laycock.

Author: Laycock, Joseph, 1980- author.

ImprintOakland, California : University of California Press, [2015]

Imprint2015

Descriptionxiv, 349 pages ; 24 cm

Note:Preface: "You worship gods from books!" -- Introduction: Fantasy and reality -- Part I. The history of the panic -- 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 -- Part II. Interpreting the panic -- 6. How role-playing games create meaning -- 7. How the imagination became dangerous -- 8. Rival fantasies -- Conclusion: Walking between worlds.

Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references (pages 333-343) and index.

Note:"The 1980s saw the peak of a moral panic over fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons. A coalition of moral entrepreneurs that included the Christian Right, psychologists, and law enforcement claimed 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."--Provided by publisher.

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