Do fantasy and paganism go together, or should they stay separate?

[Kid Charlemagne]

Let's be careful not to add value judgements on any side here - this topic is a very touchy one, and not one I'm sure can walk the line without being closed.
-Kid Charlemagne - ENWorld Mod

 

[Nymrohd]

I think there is a relation but it is not mutual. In that pagans are probably more likely to be gamers a lot more so than gamers are likely to be pagans.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

And on a non-mod note - I know several pagan gamers, and also some fairly religious Christian gamers. Most seem to fall in the middle ground of it not being obvious what if any faith they follow.

I've never seen a game store with any pagan or occult materials; it sounds almost like the store the OP mentions had a RPG section to go along with the main business of "occult/pagan bookstore" rather than the reverse, which I could certainly see.

 

[Obryn]

As I found while LARPing, generally the people who mix the two aren't the ones I'd want to hang out with or game with.

There are exceptions, naturally, but IME when the two meet the result is often frightening, with too many black clothes, too few haircuts, and too many inappropriate corsets.

-O

 

[White Tornado]

I have to agree with the mod: don’t dig into any religion or spirituality in general. I am primarily curious if and how paganism (in any form, in any way) affects your gaming experience, and if there are any relations between them. We don’t need to be offensive.

The FLGS I referred to in the Original Post was primarily a fantasy store. It has several bookcases of fantasy literature (in English and Dutch), lots of Warhammer and other miniature-painting materials, fantasy-styled posters, LARP equipment (including clothing some non-LARPers might wear as an expression of their subculture), some gothic-styled ornamental stuff to put on your dinner table to look nice, books and materials for a variety of roleplaying games (including 3rd and 4th ed D&D) and (as mentioned) wine and fair-trade chocolate. The shopkeeper was a friendly, long-haired metalhead (I liked the guy). It somehow felt as if a dozen clichés about alternative lifestyles were thrown together in one shop, all under the header “fantasy” (hence the name of the shop).

It seems to be that gamers can be of any religion, but somehow pagans in general tend to be attracted to the fantasy genre. I agree it would be a stranger sight to have a FLGS selling Bibles. It would be even stranger if they sold both Bibles and pagan literature...

It’s true that paganism is a great source for fantasy, but the same goes for Christianity (angels, demons, devils), and a lot of other religions, mythologies and (ancient) cultures. Fantasy writers and designers just like to plunder anything they can find, I guess. And they should do that, of course.

 

[Mournblade94]

As I found while LARPing, generally the people who mix the two aren't the ones I'd want to hang out with or game with.

There are exceptions, naturally, but IME when the two meet the result is often frightening, with too many black clothes, too few haircuts, and too many inappropriate corsets.

-O

I am not the type of larper that can run around like a tunicless CONAN.

WHY WHY then are so many corpulent Red Sonjas allowed? They do not ADD to Red Sonja's typical raiment either.

But then I see the crowds of boys following them and I no longer wonder.

 

[Mournblade94]

It seems to be that gamers can be of any religion, but somehow pagans in general tend to be attracted to the fantasy genre. I agree it would be a stranger sight to have a FLGS selling Bibles. It would be even stranger if they sold both Bibles and pagan literature...

It’s true that paganism is a great source for fantasy, but the same goes for Christianity (angels, demons, devils), and a lot of other religions, mythologies and (ancient) cultures. Fantasy writers and designers just like to plunder anything they can find, I guess. And they should do that, of course.

Most of the Pagans I know are gamers either larp or tabletop. All of the pagan's I know are into fantasy in general.

Most of the gamers I know however are not pagan.

 

[Moon_Goddess]

Before I state this, I want to point out I'm agnostic and almost atheist, I don't personally believe in anything supernatural.

But from my point of view it should be insulting to paganism to be lumped in with fiction as they do not believe their faith is fiction.

 

[the Jester]

Before I state this, I want to point out I'm agnostic and almost atheist, I don't personally believe in anything supernatural.

But from my point of view it should be insulting to paganism to be lumped in with fiction as they do not believe their faith is fiction.

Speaking as a pagan, I'm not offended or insulted at all. I recognize that myth and legend are truth, but not literal truth. Metaphor and the blurring of boundaries are a part of my faith, so I'm perfectly happy with the mixing of gaming and pagan materials in the same store. One-stop shop and all that.

Other pagans: YMMV, of course.

 

[Clavis]

I've noticed that gamers in their 30s tend to be also interested in non-mainstream religions, especially pagan/occult ones, while I've noticed no such tendency in younger gamers. I think it may have to do with growing up in the 80s, when D&D was often considered "evil". A lot of kids I knew started playing D&D because of its evil reputation, as an act of rebellion. D&D was heavily associated with the Heavy Metal scene, and a certain percentage of the metalheads of my generation developed an interest in Wicca and paganism. Those same people tended to be the ones who kept gaming, although many moved on to Vampire after the 2nd Edition "cleaned up" AD&D.

Younger gamers seem to have grown up more with video games and Magic:The Gathering, neither of which had the same rebellious edge, and at a time when metal had mostly lost it's fascination with the occult. That might partially explain why those under 30 seem to have no association between gaming and the occult, while a majority of gamers I know over 30 do.