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Shared Fantasy: Role Playing Games as Social Worlds Paperback – August 14, 2002

by Gary Alan Fine (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 18 ratings
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This classic study still provides one of the most acute descriptions available of an often misunderstood subculture: that of fantasy role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. Gary Alan Fine immerses himself in several different gaming systems, offering insightful details on the nature of the games and the patterns of interaction among players—as well as their reasons for playing.
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  1. Print length
    298 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Chicago Press
  4. Publication date
    August 14, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    9.58 x 4.44 x 0.66 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0226249441
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0226249445
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

This classic study still provides one of the most acute descriptions available of an often misunderstood subculture: that of fantasy role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. Gary Alan Fine immerses himself in several different gaming systems, offering insightful details on the nature of the games and the patterns of interaction among players&;as well as their reasons for playing.

From the Back Cover

This classic study still provides one of the most acute descriptions available of an often misunderstood subculture: that of fantasy role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. Gary Alan Fine immerses himself in several different gaming systems, offering insightful details on the nature of the games and the patterns of interaction among players—as well as their reasons for playing.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press; 0002- edition (August 14, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 298 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0226249441
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226249445
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.58 x 4.44 x 0.66 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

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Gary Alan Fine

Gary Alan Fine

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
18 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Katherine Roughan
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most influential titles of it's time
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2020
Verified Purchase
Gaming has always been a field sparse in analysis through an anthropological lens, and following the success of DnD, this book's release was critical. It is a bit dry, and at times wildly opinionated, but it establishes a modern understanding of gaming that remains critical to this day. An absolutely necessary read for any gaming enthusiast.
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corey walden
5.0 out of 5 stars funny and digestible for an academic text
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2014
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Some theorists have discounted this book as being outdated, however with direct interviews with Gygax, Arneson and Prof. Barker, it is hard to dismiss this work. Many of the underlying principles and observations are as relative today, as they were in 1977-1979. The arguments draw on sociologist theories, particularly Erving Goffman's. It is insightful, funny and digestible for an academic text. Highly recommend it for the curious gamer, or the academic equally.
3 people found this helpful
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Stanisław Krawczyk
4.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat outdated but still a worthy sociological read
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2012
Role-playing games have really moved on since Gary Alan Fine wrote his book. If it were just for the subject matter, then, Fine's analysis would mostly be commendable for historical reasons. However, this is not the case, as the author demonstrates a fine (no pun..., all right, pun intended) piece of research that can still be used by qualitatively oriented sociologists. In fact, I will be drawing from this book myself in my PhD thesis, although its topic is different (fantastic literature readers in Poland).

There are therefore three groups of people who will probably find this book useful:

1. role-playing game fans who want to know more about the beginnings of their subculture (Fine writes to a non-RPG audience but this should not be a problem here; also, most of what he says should be accessible to the general intelligent reader);

2. role-playing game scholars;

3. qualitative sociologists (although the book could be a touch less descriptive and a little more analytical).

If you belong to any of these groups, do consider buying "Shared Fantasy". If not, chances are that you will not find the book to be very appealing.
7 people found this helpful
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Michael J. Tresca
5.0 out of 5 stars A critical piece of gaming history
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2009
Gary Alan Fine's book, Shared Fantasy: Role-Playing Games as Social Worlds, provides an enlightening overview of the state of gaming in the early eighties. Fine, a sociologist, inhabits the gaming cultures he reviews, reporting on Dungeons & Dragons, Chivalry & Sorcery, and Empire of the Petal Throne as a player and game master. He also interviews many of the leading lights of the industry at the time, including M.A.R. Barker, Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax.

What's revealed by Fine's studies is that issues many gamers face today have remained largely unchanged over the course of thirty years. "Roll-" vs. "role-" playing figures prominently. Game masters who are unprepared or capricious, players who are petty and competitive, groups that exclude other groups...they're all here in vivid detail. What sets Fine's work apart is that he provides sociological constructs to discuss the gaming hobby, a hobby he treats with respect.

On the other hand, there are several issues that are clearly tied to the nascent gaming culture. Rampant sexism and violence towards women disturbs Fine; things have definitely changed for the better. The other major concern of most of Fine's subjects is the invasion of youngsters to the hobby who are too immature to fully grasp its rules. Nowadays we have the opposite problem - there aren't enough young players attracted to the game.

Throughout, Fine interviews his subjects and quotes their experiences as well as his own. These quotes are illustrative of the little challenges gaming groups regularly encounter, from intergroup rivalry to players having their characters to commit mass suicide as a form of protest against a particularly unfair game master. Any gamer will recognize himself and his players in Fine's work.

Chivalry & Sorcery and Empire of the Petal Throne (Tekumel) are not as well known today, but at the time they were a game designer's response to the flaws in Dungeons & Dragons. In the case of Chivalry & Sorcery, it was a more feudal feel to fantasy. In the case of Tekumel, it was the distinct European emphasis that colored all of Dungeons & Dragons. Barker's direct involvement in the Tekumel game universe as a game master provides an immersive contrast to the typical hack-and-slash dungeon games that were popular at the time.

Fine's work isn't flashy, but it's a critical piece of gaming history and a must-read for gaming scholars everywhere.
11 people found this helpful
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eric
2.0 out of 5 stars Dry and uninspiring
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2012
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I understand that this is supposed to be research and not a RPG fan's writing. To my mind, it fails on both accounts. It is very factual and has limited analytical insights as real research is meant to be. It is also uninspiring for RPG fans or wannabees as it fails to explore what brings and most importantly keeps players around the table. Overall disappointing.
3 people found this helpful
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Harry A Pierce
2.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat historical, but definately a flatline read
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2012
The history is the author's participation in games of the late 70's/early 80's. Some personal interviewing of the game designers and players. Except for brief highpoints the book then flatlines. Sorry, I have no expert credentials, but I gamed in the book's era and much later. I know what draws players and what keeps players playing. I bought the book for insights into M. A. R. Barker and found the author provided very little grist for that mill. I felt he missed much of what matters in this type of gaming. IMO the author missed the similarity between early man's campfire tales and story telling and the alternate realities created by fantasy gaming. Simply, the game player actually feels the accomplishment and wonders of alternate worlds, much as he would if he was a warrior and recounted his coups at the campfire. To me obviously, this type of fantasy participation provides healthy feedback to the player and it can NOT be supplanted by electronic variants. Thanks, Harry!
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Ceba
5.0 out of 5 stars Referente de obligada lectura
Reviewed in Spain on November 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
Si tu objetivo es introducirte en la investigación de los juegos de rol, este libro es esencial. No sólo reflexiona sobre este tipo de entretenimiento, sino que permite inspirarte a la hora de plantear metodologías útiles de estudio.
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