February 14, 2012

What Was Your RPG “Gateway Drug”?

Most of the players of RPGs did not immediately jump directly into a love of fantasy/science-fiction/role-playing through RPGs. Similar to the theory of the gateway hypothesis which states that the use of less dangerous drugs leads to the use of harder drugs, what other forms of fantasy and role-play led you to RPGs?

Some people first found a love of fantasy/sci-fi through books; some through movies. Also computer games may have been their first exposure to the genre of role-playing. I suspect there may even have been other avenues into RPGs, such as acting in plays or live-action role-play/cosplay.

For me, it all started with books. My first “fantasy” book was Watership Down. From there I eventually got into The Lord of the Rings, which gave me a love of fantasy. As for computer games, my love for them came after my interest in role-playing games.

So, what was your “Gateway Drug”? What got you interested in the genre of fantasy/sci-fi or role-playing and eventually brought you to tabletop RPGs?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sci-Fi reader/viewer -> Starlog -> classified for Intergalactic Trading Company catalog -> ad in catalog for Flying Buffalo catalog -> Tunnels & Trolls + Grimtooth's Traps.

So I guess you could say it was a love of sci-fi plus the cool FBI logo.

Yong Kyosunim said...

I didn't have one. D&D was my gateway drug into video games and reading fantasy books

Nedicus said...

Fighting Fantasy novels in grade school were a huge gateway for me. I can remember rolling dice on the living room floor raptly focussed on the decision-making and combat (which I always fudged rather than restart).

Victor Von Dave said...

Let's see Clash of the Titans, monster movies, Krull, Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings, Fighting Fantasy books (like Nedicus I also cheated)... but the single biggest gateway for me was my older brothers playing the game.

Unknown said...

The Odyssey, with its god-inspired fights and monsters drew me originally to D&D. I was a history buff, but turned quickly into a fantasy buff as well after reading it.