Abstract
This chapter presents the history of Dungeons & Dragons through the lens of Max Weber’s concept of disenchantment, drawing on elaborations of the concept by Michael Saler and George Ritzer. Mizer argues that Dungeons & Dragons takes aspects of modernity typically associated with disenchantment and repurposes them by placing them in a productive tension with the enchanted imagination. With this foundation, the chapter follows the development of Dungeons & Dragons in terms of shifting emphasis on rationalization and enchantment, highlighting the “McDonaldized” form of role-playing represented by the fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons.
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Mizer, N.J. (2019). Entering Imagined Worlds Through Enchanted Rationalization. In: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and the Experience of Imagined Worlds. Palgrave Games in Context. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29127-3_2
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