Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and...
Fantasy. Science fiction. Role-playing games. People around the globe turn away from the "real" world to inhabit others. Movie fan-freaks design co...
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reviews
Jul 22, 2011
David
rated it: 
Being a committed roleplayer when I saw this book (on sale at a bankrupt Borders Books) I purchased it and put it near the top of my reading list. I was a little disappointed though because even though it is a study of fantasy and gaming culture, it was quite subjective for my tastes and there was a lot comment about the author's life, and to be quite honest, the author seemed to be a little stuck up himself.
While he is correct that in the 70's and 80's, when roleplaying began to take off More...
While he is correct that in the 70's and 80's, when roleplaying began to take off More...
Dec 14, 2009
Kit
rated it: 
I didn't realize when I picked up this book that it would be, like Julie and Julia or The Year of Living Biblically, one of those "I gave myself a quest and wrote about it so that I could get a book published" books. In Gilsdorf's case, his quest is a mid-life-crisis fueled desire to find out if it's possible to go back to his geeky roots without being a geek. Or something like that. Unfortunately, although his story of growing up with a disabled mother could be very powerful if follow
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Apr 01, 2010
Sarah
rated it: 
4.1.10:
Now that I've finished the book, I have to say that I'm disappointed. Gilsdorf doesn't end the book the way I would hope a book about fantasy and questing would end, with a winner and a resolution. But that's the entire point. Real life is murky; it has shades of grey that can't be resolved. There isn't a winner and there isn't a looser - maybe Spike said it best, "Life isn't bliss. Life is just this; it's living." For me, the ending I hoped for was a hope that I can find More...
Now that I've finished the book, I have to say that I'm disappointed. Gilsdorf doesn't end the book the way I would hope a book about fantasy and questing would end, with a winner and a resolution. But that's the entire point. Real life is murky; it has shades of grey that can't be resolved. There isn't a winner and there isn't a looser - maybe Spike said it best, "Life isn't bliss. Life is just this; it's living." For me, the ending I hoped for was a hope that I can find More...
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Jun 13, 2011
Gerhardt
rated it:
Reading this one on paper!
----
Well, this was downright weird. I thought I would be reading a journalistic exploration of fantasy and gaming subcultures, but Gilsdorf ventures way beyond this into what reads like not only armchair psychoanalysis, but armchair self-psychoanalysis. Throughout the book, he vacillates both on the idea of participation in these subcultures as escapism, and on the harmfulness of that escapism.
The author's coming to terms with his la More...
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Well, this was downright weird. I thought I would be reading a journalistic exploration of fantasy and gaming subcultures, but Gilsdorf ventures way beyond this into what reads like not only armchair psychoanalysis, but armchair self-psychoanalysis. Throughout the book, he vacillates both on the idea of participation in these subcultures as escapism, and on the harmfulness of that escapism.
The author's coming to terms with his la More...
Dec 11, 2009
Abraham
rated it:
Ethan Gilsdorf was heavy into Dungeons and Dragons as a teen, during the late seventies and early eighties. In his senior year of high school he discovered girls -- or rather one discovered him -- and so he set down his multi-colored dice and turned his back on Nerd-dom and Geekery.
But, a few years into his forties, he has an epiphany: hey, I should look back into D&D and other geeky stuff, then make a book about it! So he did and this is what came out of it all. The reader gets to More...
But, a few years into his forties, he has an epiphany: hey, I should look back into D&D and other geeky stuff, then make a book about it! So he did and this is what came out of it all. The reader gets to More...
Sep 28, 2009
Mark
rated it:
I'm wondering if I came to this book with the wrong expectations... my first instinct is to write a pithy/snarky blurb along the lines of "Watch THE GUILD, read some classic KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE... and you'll get more enjoyment than you would reading this book."
Why the negative reaction to what is, admittedly, a well-written series of glimpses into some seldom-seen corners of the fantasy gaming universe? The author encounters some interesting people and does a good jo More...
Why the negative reaction to what is, admittedly, a well-written series of glimpses into some seldom-seen corners of the fantasy gaming universe? The author encounters some interesting people and does a good jo More...
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Dec 09, 2010
David
rated it:
Ethan is a gaming geek and a fantasy freak. He had set aside geeky things for a long time, but has been called back, and he has to decide whether to answer the call or not. This is a self-conscious journey as he tries to come to grips with his inner geek. From the battlefields of Pennsic to the spectacular vistas of Azaroth, to a small town in Wisconsin and on to Middle-Earth and New Zealand, Ethan's journey spans this world and several others. He encounters numerous well adjusted individua
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Apr 08, 2010
Cymberleah
rated it:
I very rarely get over halfway through a book and not want to finish. Normally I know after the first few chapters if I want to keep going. This book suckered me in with the pathos of growing up with a broken mother, and I liked the concept of revisiting nerdy persuits after giving them up. What I did not like was the consistent navel-gazing and morose pondering that the author worried that he wad turning into one of "those people" every time he enjoyed one of the subjects of his chapt
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Dec 06, 2009
Shedrick
rated it:
Those of us who populate the “fantasy” end of the pop-culture spectrum are used to being relegated to the fringe. We’re geeks, freaks, weirdos, possibly satanic nuts with a predilection for exploring sewers with plastic swords or spending far too much money and time on polyhedral dice or video game subscriptions. “Playing D&D” (Dungeons & Dragons for the uninitiated) is often the punchline of jokes concerning whether or not a person is a complete spaz or not. The stereotypical gamer/fantasy f
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Jul 03, 2010
Stefan
rated it:
I hate giving bad ratings. Basically, I prevent most of it, by evaluating the stuff I want to read very carefully before I start, but in this case, I obviously failed. But let me explain..
The author tells his story about being a very active D&D player in his childhood, escaping his difficult home life. Years later, he tries to explore geek subculture by traveling around and writing about it in this very book.
Now, it's not a bad book. Some parts are better than others, som More...
The author tells his story about being a very active D&D player in his childhood, escaping his difficult home life. Years later, he tries to explore geek subculture by traveling around and writing about it in this very book.
Now, it's not a bad book. Some parts are better than others, som More...
Apr 03, 2010
Chris
rated it:
As a teenager, Ethan Gilsdorf used D&D to escape from a difficult home life. Now in his early forties, he has spent the last few years exploring fantasy subcultures, trying to learn what its participants get out of their shared weirdness.
He doesn't come up with anything more profound than previous writers -- this book shares a lot of Gerard Jones' message that the kids are all right, and that Killing Monsters is good for you. Nothing new there.
What I did like was his po More...
He doesn't come up with anything more profound than previous writers -- this book shares a lot of Gerard Jones' message that the kids are all right, and that Killing Monsters is good for you. Nothing new there.
What I did like was his po More...
Mar 24, 2011
Gregory
rated it:
This was a really fun read. I also really identified with the author, as our relationship with RPGs seems almost identical: it defined my life from age 12-17 and then was completely abandoned after that. But like the author since I've been in my 30s I've become increasingly curious about gaming and secretly kind of want to start playing again. As Gilsdorf points out, so much of it has crept into acceptable mainstream discussion. The Lord of the Rings movies definitely should take some of the cr
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Jan 13, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
I can't help but think of a few friends as I read this adult book. I mean, really, what makes someone talk like a medieval knight on a Saturday night, roll dice, and play make-believe? What makes someone play Lord of the Rings Online for weeks on end? Gilsdorf tries to answer these questions. He grew up playing Dungeons and Dragons and does a great job explaining how his mom's aneurysm drove him into escaping reality. Now as a thirty-something-year-old, he involves himself in role-playing games
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Sep 30, 2010
Angela
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Dec 16, 2011
Kayla Rose
rated it:
I started reading this book with all the enthusiasm of a little kid on a shopping spree in a candy store. Literally. I devoured the first several chapters, and it accompanied me everywhere - to class, to the meeting of the Role Players Guild (of which I'm president), to the ER when the stomach flu hit me with all of the fury of Deathwing.
Then there was a point where it lost me, long before I actually gave up halfway through the chapter about World of Warcraft. As Gilsdorf's experienc More...
Then there was a point where it lost me, long before I actually gave up halfway through the chapter about World of Warcraft. As Gilsdorf's experienc More...
Jul 06, 2011
Kyle
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book. Gilsdorf went through some tough things in his adolescence (don't we all?) He reached out to make friends and formed bonds with a few fellow "outcasts" in a way to get through those tough times and wound up becoming a major fantasy geek. I think this book really set out to demonstrate that, though the "popular" culture wants to deride escapists such as these geeks, there's really nothing wrong with it. After all, in one way or another, we are all "
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Feb 02, 2010
Garnett
rated it:
The author had a brutal childhood, so he has a very hard time getting away from the role-playing game as 'escapism' trope. I liked his anecdotes, but there was a bit too much second rate sociology mixed in. At the end of the book he did emphasize rpg as a constructive process, which really gets lost, I think, in describing the phenomena.
I thought he got away from the 'role-playing' in rpg sometimes, especially by going on and on about Tolkien. He could have adhered better to that the More...
I thought he got away from the 'role-playing' in rpg sometimes, especially by going on and on about Tolkien. He could have adhered better to that the More...
Jun 07, 2010
Christopher
rated it:
I spent a fair amount of this book trying to see who I could recognize among the author's geek sources. This is what I get living in the same town.
Gilsdorf hits a lot of the fandom sub-cultures, mainly in the medieval fantasy realm in an attempt to decide whether he was right to abandon his high-school D&D-playing self or if he will forever be trapped in a fantasy adolescence. No decision on that, because his hypotheses are based on some majorly false assumptions. He sees some of More...
Gilsdorf hits a lot of the fandom sub-cultures, mainly in the medieval fantasy realm in an attempt to decide whether he was right to abandon his high-school D&D-playing self or if he will forever be trapped in a fantasy adolescence. No decision on that, because his hypotheses are based on some majorly false assumptions. He sees some of More...
Aug 11, 2011
After the amount of press this got from Wizards of the Coast, I sort of expected it to be a bit more positve about fantasy. Instead, it was a story of a rather conflicted man coming to terms with this interest in fantasy, which was really not what I was looking for in reading this book. That said, it was still well written, and had a nice adventure with some emotional points, as well as several looks at different subcultures and interests that I wasn't even aware of before. It's a worthwhile rea
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Dec 31, 2009
Anne
rated it:
This was an interesting, if somewhat wandering, exploration of the different fantasy escape experiences and what, if any, value comes from them. The author's own perspective is clearly acknowledged: he's very conflicted about his "geek" past and doesn't quite know what to make of fantasy and it's possible role in his life now, so he heads out to explore geekdom in all it's varieties, from LARP to SCA to conventions such as Lake Geneva and Dragon*Con.
Ultimately, I think his More...
Ultimately, I think his More...
Nov 25, 2009
saint frances
rated it:
Interesting enough but the errors about WoW drove me crazy. Human hunters? WTF!
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Apr 19, 2010
Neil
rated it:
Gilsdorf's book grew on me. It's the story of how, in middle age, he returned to his teenage love of D & D. He re-immersed himself in various fantasy worlds: RPGs, LARPs, Cons, Online Gaming, New Zealand LOTR tours, SCA, and so on. At first I thought he was just going to beat to death the stereotypes about people pursuing fantasy for nothing but escapism, but by the end of the book, I think he actually had learned that people pursue these kinds of activities for all kinds of reasons.
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Sep 16, 2009
Gerald
rated it:
This is an excellent book, enjoyable for someone who is a geek (like myself), but approachable by someone who has little to no familiarity with geek culture. The author strikes a good balance in tone, as he's never overly reverent of geekdom, but also he doesn't fall into being condescending.
Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who has ever asked the question, "So what's this WoW/D&D/fantasy/convention stuff about anyway?" This book has the answers for you.
Best More...
Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who has ever asked the question, "So what's this WoW/D&D/fantasy/convention stuff about anyway?" This book has the answers for you.
Best More...
Nov 01, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
Part informative guide to fantasy and gaming culture, part engaging memoir about the author's journey through geekdom, Gilsdorf delivers a long needed book exploring many facets of gaming in a positive way. The story starts with teenage Gilsdorf's escape from "the Momster" (when he was 12, his mother suffered an aneurysm that left her crippled and with short term memory problems) through Dungeons & Dragons. Fast forward several years and as the author turns forty, he wonders if he's re
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Jan 24, 2011
Brian
rated it:
FF&GG covers a subcultural swath of the activities and lifestyles centered on making believe and even making real our yearnings for something ideal and distant from what we know as normal life. The informative elements are woven with the thread of a personal journey by the author. Adopting his point-of-view keeps the reader at a speculative distance from the experiences he recounts. If you are an outsider to the culture, this approach will help ease you into the fact of its existence. If you
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Jul 08, 2010
Michael
rated it:
Where should I begin?
At 4 or 5, finding that little "door" in my bedroom that I couldn't get open, and wondering what was behind it? Picturing lakes, dragons, probably characters from Rainbow Brite and He-Man, all hanging around together in a world of magic and peace?
At 9, too impatient to write actual stories, but drawing and coloring character after character, analyzing their personal attributes and naming each, and keeping them in a big binder? I ha More...
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Nov 14, 2011
AJ
rated it:
I wanted to like this book.
I wanted to love it.
I wanted to cheer for Gilsdorf as he reclaimed his freak and geek, grabbed his dice and nerded the night away.
Instead I read through some 300 pages waiting for him to make a decision. ANY decision. Just make a decision, commit to it and become it. So, uhm, I guess there are spoilers coming, unless you agree with him and not me. Then there are still spoilers, but you think I’m way off base.
Gilsdorf More...
I wanted to love it.
I wanted to cheer for Gilsdorf as he reclaimed his freak and geek, grabbed his dice and nerded the night away.
Instead I read through some 300 pages waiting for him to make a decision. ANY decision. Just make a decision, commit to it and become it. So, uhm, I guess there are spoilers coming, unless you agree with him and not me. Then there are still spoilers, but you think I’m way off base.
Gilsdorf More...
Jul 28, 2011
Megan
rated it:
Okay, I'll admit it, I'm a geek. A total, Magic/D&D/Pathfinder playing, Doctor Who/Star Trek/anime watching, fantasy/scifi/manga reading, geek. I've never been to a convention, but I go to the Renaissance Festival* every year, and the bookcases in my den/office are covered in dragon statues.**
So nothing in this book was much of a surprise to me. Except some woman at Dragon*Con telling the author that Daleks are a Doctor Who/Stargate crossover creation (whaaaat? And I think he believe More...
So nothing in this book was much of a surprise to me. Except some woman at Dragon*Con telling the author that Daleks are a Doctor Who/Stargate crossover creation (whaaaat? And I think he believe More...
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Dec 07, 2010
Ryan
rated it:
Former Dungeons and Dragons geek turned travel writer finds himself getting pulled back into 'the life' after the Lord of the Rings films are released, and decided to chronicle the state of modern geekdom.
It's interesting, from an anthropological perspective - Gilsdorf has a bit of an insider's perspective, but it's one that he fights against. He spends half the book trying to convince himself he's above the people who play MMOs, or who LARP, or attend conventions, but eventually he More...
It's interesting, from an anthropological perspective - Gilsdorf has a bit of an insider's perspective, but it's one that he fights against. He spends half the book trying to convince himself he's above the people who play MMOs, or who LARP, or attend conventions, but eventually he More...
Jan 23, 2010
Jacob / Julie
rated it:
Pre-read comment:
The author lives in my previous hometown of Somerville, MA, and I just saw him kick-off his book-tour at The Harvard Bookstore. It looks like it'll be a good read -- covering everything from his personal experiences as a gaming kid escaping his dysfunctional family, to the current world of D&D, LARPing, Harry Potter rock bands, Lord of the Rings books & movie fandom, cosplay, and medieval recreation.
Post-read:
It's an easy read and well-written.
More...
The author lives in my previous hometown of Somerville, MA, and I just saw him kick-off his book-tour at The Harvard Bookstore. It looks like it'll be a good read -- covering everything from his personal experiences as a gaming kid escaping his dysfunctional family, to the current world of D&D, LARPing, Harry Potter rock bands, Lord of the Rings books & movie fandom, cosplay, and medieval recreation.
Post-read:
It's an easy read and well-written.
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