Overview

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 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 for those with an interest in religion, popular culture, and social behavior, both in the classroom and beyond.

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Joseph P. Laycock is an assistant professor of religious studies at Texas State University. His work explores American religious history and new religious movements. He is also a coeditor of the journal Nova Religio. Roman Howell is a SAG-AFTRA union, Los Angeles-based audiobook narrator and voice actor. He cut his teeth voicing multiple characters for podcasts inspired by the Fallout and Bioshock video game series before branching into audiobooks. Since then, he has voiced over twenty audiobooks, and the number keeps on rising. His youthful timbre allows him to narrate a range of voices, from children to young adult to middle age. Roman is continually honing his craft. He has been coached by AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator Erin Moon.

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