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Mazes and Monsters (novel)
Encyclopedia
Mazes and Monsters is a 1981 novel by Rona Jaffe
. The novel is a cautionary tale regarding the then-new hobby of fantasy
role-playing games. The book was adapted into a made-for-television movie
by the same name in 1982 starring young Tom Hanks
.
s" of the late 1970s. These urban myths developed during the infancy of role playing games, generally purporting that university students playing a live action version
of Dungeons & Dragons
or similar game disappeared into the utility tunnels of the school and became lost, and in some cases died of hypothermia or other causes. The legends had risen due to newspaper reports concerning the disappearance of a Michigan State University
student named James Dallas Egbert. Egbert had played Dungeons & Dragons and did in fact go into the steam tunnels of his school, but with the intent of committing suicide
. When his attempt on his life failed, he hid at various friends' houses for several weeks. During this time the private investigator
hired by Egbert's parents to find him speculated in the press that perhaps Egbert had gone into the steam tunnels to play a live version of the game and gotten lost. The media reported the theory as fact and caused controversy over the effects of playing the game.
The public received the novel amidst a climate of uncertainty regarding the new pastime of role-playing games. Jaffe's account was read by many as a legitimate depiction of role-playing games, as many of her readers had no prior knowledge of the subject. In fact, in 1985 psychologist
and anti-television violence activist Thomas Radecki of the National Coalition on Television Violence once cited a fictitious letter from this novel as "proof" that D&D had caused the death of gamers.
, this is a species of problem novel
(although not aimed at young adult readers), by an established writer, which treats the playing of role playing games as indicative of deep neurotic needs. In both books, the protagonist is (or at least appears to be) suffering from schizophrenia
(or some analogous condition); in both books, the attainment of mature adulthood is accompanied by the abandonment of role-playing games. Sales of the book may also have benefited in the early 1980s from other negative media reports regarding D&D and similar games
, such as those promulgated by Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons, an anti-RPG advocacy group. This negative media climate, combined with the dramatic fictional events portrayed in Jaffe's book, led CBS
to contract for the television rights to the novel. The movie adaptation premiered on the network in 1982, and starred 26-year-old Tom Hanks
as an obsessed gamer who was unable to distinguish fantasy from reality.
Rona Jaffe
Rona Jaffe was a popular American novelist, publishing numerous works from 1958-2003. She may have been best known for her controversial novel, Mazes and Monsters...
. The novel is a cautionary tale regarding the then-new hobby of fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing games. The book was adapted into a made-for-television movie
Mazes and Monsters
Mazes and Monsters is a 1982 made-for-TV movie directed by Steven Hilliard Stern about a group of college students and their interest in a fictitious role-playing game of the same name. The movie starred a 26-year-old Tom Hanks in his first major leading film role.- Background :The film was...
by the same name in 1982 starring young Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
.
Background
The novel is based in large part on the largely apocryphal "steam tunnel incidentSteam tunnel incident
James Dallas Egbert III was a student at Michigan State University who was incorrectly alleged to have disappeared into the school's steam tunnels for reasons related to the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons ....
s" of the late 1970s. These urban myths developed during the infancy of role playing games, generally purporting that university students playing a live action version
Live action role-playing game
A live action role-playing game is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by the real world, while interacting with each other in character. The outcome of player actions may...
of Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
or similar game disappeared into the utility tunnels of the school and became lost, and in some cases died of hypothermia or other causes. The legends had risen due to newspaper reports concerning the disappearance of a Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
student named James Dallas Egbert. Egbert had played Dungeons & Dragons and did in fact go into the steam tunnels of his school, but with the intent of committing suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. When his attempt on his life failed, he hid at various friends' houses for several weeks. During this time the private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
hired by Egbert's parents to find him speculated in the press that perhaps Egbert had gone into the steam tunnels to play a live version of the game and gotten lost. The media reported the theory as fact and caused controversy over the effects of playing the game.
The public received the novel amidst a climate of uncertainty regarding the new pastime of role-playing games. Jaffe's account was read by many as a legitimate depiction of role-playing games, as many of her readers had no prior knowledge of the subject. In fact, in 1985 psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
and anti-television violence activist Thomas Radecki of the National Coalition on Television Violence once cited a fictitious letter from this novel as "proof" that D&D had caused the death of gamers.
Content
Like the contemporary HobgoblinHobgoblin (book)
Hobgoblin by John Coyne is a 1981 horror novel about Scott Gardiner, a teenaged boy who becomes obsessed with Hobgoblin, a fantasy roleplaying game based on Irish mythology, as his life in the game and in reality slowly blend.-Description:...
, this is a species of problem novel
Problem novel
Problem novel is a term used to refer to a sub-genre of young adult literature that deal exclusively with an adolescent's first confrontation with a social or personal ill. The term was first used in the late 1960s to differentiate contemporary works like The Outsiders from earlier fiction for...
(although not aimed at young adult readers), by an established writer, which treats the playing of role playing games as indicative of deep neurotic needs. In both books, the protagonist is (or at least appears to be) suffering from schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
(or some analogous condition); in both books, the attainment of mature adulthood is accompanied by the abandonment of role-playing games. Sales of the book may also have benefited in the early 1980s from other negative media reports regarding D&D and similar games
Dungeons & Dragons controversies
Dungeons & Dragons controversies concern the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons , which has received significant attention in the media and in popular culture. The game has received some negative coverage, especially during the game's early years in the early 1980s...
, such as those promulgated by Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons, an anti-RPG advocacy group. This negative media climate, combined with the dramatic fictional events portrayed in Jaffe's book, led CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
to contract for the television rights to the novel. The movie adaptation premiered on the network in 1982, and starred 26-year-old Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
as an obsessed gamer who was unable to distinguish fantasy from reality.
See also
- The Dungeon MasterThe Dungeon MasterThe Dungeon Master: The Disappearance of James Dallas Egbert III is a 1984 nonfiction book written by private investigator William Dear, giving his explanation of the 1979 "steam tunnel incident", which he feels was misrepresented by the news media...
(book on the Egbert incident by William Dear), published three years later, depicting the events whose initial incorrect reportage inspired Mazes and Monsters - History of role-playing gamesHistory of role-playing gamesThe history of role-playing games begins with an earlier tradition of role-playing, which combined with the rulesets of fantasy wargames in the 1970s to give rise to the modern role-playing game. A role-playing game is a type of game in which the participants assume the roles of characters and...
- Media circusMedia circusMedia circus is a colloquial metaphor, or idiom, describing a news event where the media coverage is perceived to be out of proportion to the event being covered, such as the number of reporters at the scene, the amount of news media published or broadcast, and the level of media hype...
- Moral panicMoral panicA moral panic is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. According to Stanley Cohen, author of Folk Devils and Moral Panics and credited creator of the term, a moral panic occurs when "[a] condition, episode, person or group of...
- SensationalismSensationalismSensationalism is a type of editorial bias in mass media in which events and topics in news stories and pieces are over-hyped to increase viewership or readership numbers...
External links
- "The Disappearance of James Dallas Egbert III" by Shaun Hately
- "The Attacks on Role-Playing Games" by Paul Cardwell, Jr.