Is Fantasy changing?

[The_Gneech]

I just got the Dragon in question and read the editorial; frankly, it read like "We know Eberron is a bit out there, but it's really the way of the future and not just the current fad. Really!"

I don't buy it. Fantasy has its fads and cycles just like anything else; in the '70s everything was trippy post-hippies weirdness, in the '80s everything was Shannara (even the stuff that wasn't), in the '90s everything was a licensing tie-in, and now everything is "something new you've never seen before (except you have)." Tolkien is still king of the fantasy hill, Robert E. Howard purism is at an all-time high, while Lovecraft is in something of a "been there, done that" phase.

The more fantasy changes, the more it stays the same.

-The Gneech

 

[JPL]

I turned 32 earlier this year. But I appreciate the fact that it's easy to find people my age playing games at my maturity level!

As Mousferatu's other thread says, though, I wonder if we'll see a lot of "Son of Joe Blow gamer" games happening soon. If the average age is closer to 30, within a few years, some of their kids will be almost 13...

How noble! I hope the game continues to evolve to suit me!

But...as a comic book fan, I've seen what happens when the core audience for nerd niche hobby starts to get older. Some of it is good, some is not.

WotC should continue to put out great books for the more sophisticated older gamer...but I think what the hobby really needs is for that new D&D Basic Set to get into the hands of as many thirteen year olds as possible.

And I hope Gen Xers like you and me can take some time to play with these youngsters once in a while...show them how to do an old-school 1980s dungeon crawl.

 

[smetzger]

I don't think there is a drastic change in fantasy. Heck I think it is closer to its roots than it was in 1980. In the 80s Star Wars was the premier influence on 'fantasy', sure its sci-fi but it has lots of fantasy elements in it. Now we have LoTR, Warcraft, Everquest, and D&D fiction books that are on the NY Times best seller list.

My 5 yr old boys major influence are LoTR, Warcraft, ImagineNext, and D&D Minis.

 

[Deadguy]

It's okay to like Harry Potter.


If you're under the age of 12.

It's okay to like Harry Potter if you're 22 or 32 or any age. Never assume that because is written for a particular market that it holds no interest outside that market. The Harry Potter stories are children's stories, but they are well-written, imaginative children's stories. No wonder so many adults enjoy reading them (me included).

And if they encourage children to embrace fantasy and take a look at D&D, then so much the better for our hobby.

 

[Greatwyrm]

It's okay to like Harry Potter.


If you're under the age of 12.

Not a slap at you personally, MM, but this reminds me of people who say, "It's okay to play D&D, if you're a geek in junior high."

 

[Mystery Man]

Not a slap at you personally, MM, but this reminds me of people who say, "It's okay to play D&D, if you're a geek in junior high."

Heh, no I have 2 kids, my wifes sister has 3 kids their aunt has 4 kids, my cousin has 2 kids and when they all get together....

I'm suffering from Harry Potter exhaustion.

 

[Talmun]

It's okay to like Harry Potter if you're 22 or 32 or any age. Never assume that because is written for a particular market that it holds no interest outside that market. The Harry Potter stories are children's stories, but they are well-written, imaginative children's stories. No wonder so many adults enjoy reading them (me included).

And if they encourage children to embrace fantasy and take a look at D&D, then so much the better for our hobby.

Let's not forget, The Hobbit and The Cronicles of Narnia are both children's stories....

 

[Deadguy]

Heh, no I have 2 kids, my wifes sister has 3 kids their aunt has 4 kids, my cousin has 2 kids and when they all get together....

I'm suffering from Harry Potter exhaustion.

Ahhh, right!

You have my sympathy. You only want to read them (and watch them), not live them out all day every day!

 

[mmadsen]

Back in the day, fans of the genre all pretty much read the same things, because those were the books out there.

Now, fans of the genre all pretty much read the same things, because all the books are the same.

OK, they're obviously not all the same, but any time you have a store shelf full of "genre" fiction, most of it is, of course, derivative. And the fans like it that way.

 

[Desdichado]

Now, fans of the genre all pretty much read the same things, because all the books are the same.

OK, they're obviously not all the same, but any time you have a store shelf full of "genre" fiction, most of it is, of course, derivative. And the fans like it that way.

Yeah, that's true too. However, the genre is big enough that some stuff isn't, at least.