Fantasy and Fiction: Finding Utopia in Imaginary Worlds

Utopia in History

In 1516 Thomas More published Utopia, which depicts the traditions and laws of an island nation by the same name.  In many ways this book represents the beginning of a new type of fiction: one in which the reader is invited to explore a world entirely apart from their own.

Since then the word "utopia" has taken on many meanings.  We often hear about utopias in our religious discussions, or argue politically about how to make our world more utopian.  Even more often we see flawed utopias depicted in our fiction - usually as a way of exploring issues that come from our own society.  This trope has become so common that it's exhausting now.

But there is one genre where I still find the idea of utopia to be not only bearable, but incredibly satisfying.  This is a genre that goes back to the themes of exploration and new worlds that first inspired More, and once again invites its audience to join the author in exploring a new world together.

Soirées, Symposiums, and Sessions

I believe we need to spend time as often as possible discussing our individual human experience and we need to find a good way to do that. I do have a bias. I am in the college of humanities. But, I don’t think my bias is a bad thing. Or unfounded. I hope that more than a few centuries of soirées and symposiums can support that line of thought.

But, as far as discussing our individual human experience goes, symposiums and soirées can be a little difficult to pull off. Historically, these were gatherings of intellectuals (or attempted intellectuals) having direct and open conversations about theology, philosophy, art, and politics. In my experience (and yes, I’ve tried), It just isn’t easy to pull a group like that together.

Unless of course, you’re playing some Dungeons and Dragons. Then it comes easy.

Role-playing games spontaneously, but subtly, create discussions that mirror the discourse of a soirée, but through a different medium. Rather than words, RPGs use actions. The decisions of the players create shared-world experiences, filled and populated by the ideologies and beliefs of each of the players. As they act and react to each other and the shifting storyline, they get an uninhibited look into the souls of the people around them.

Want to understand your friends on a deeper level? See what they do when you toss them into strange or conflicting situations. Do they kill the deadly baby dragon before it can grow up to be a threat? Or do they try and raise it to be a force for good?

Ever heard of Gary Gygax? He invented DnD. He is also known for creating and upholding a brutal and even punitive style of game management that was designed to hurt his players as much as possible. If something is Gygaxian, it is stereotypically, unrealistically harsh. But, not everyone holds that point of view. DnD was invented in the 1970’s and many of its first players had seen action in Vietnam or even WWII. After violent experiences like those, are Gygaxian nighttime ambushes or surprise physical hazards a realistic or gratuitous look at life’s hardship? And, because we’re in college, why?

In our day and age of entertainment, I would submit role-playing games as a new kind of symposium. A way for us to come to an understanding of each other on a deeper level.

Image credit to Wizards of the Coast media resources.