15 Aug A Brief History of Wizards and Popular Game Culture
Long before Harry Potter made Wizarding a common verb in the lexicon of America’s youth, Wizards were enchanting young people with their mystical and magical powers.
Obviously, Wizards have played a major role in popular entertainment via film and television. Gandolf of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Merlin of King Arthur’s court long pre-date the Wizards of modern day gaming. Today, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter cast rank among the most powerful and popular wizards of all time. Inspired by these characters and popular myhology, Wizarding camps have sprung up www.summercampro.com, and Wizard-making makes a good Pinterest Post.
The idea of Wizards as an element of the table top gaming world has been compelling for a long time. Most famously represented by the company called Wizards of the Coast (WOTC), publishers of the eponymous card games Dungeons and Dragons and Magic the Gathering. WOTC has engendered a lifetime following for these titles.
Wizards are, of course, a perfect mystical icon for any game because they wield magical powers that can allow players to come from behind, race ahead, gain health, defend against damage, and other conjurings. Wizards, Warlocks, Ghouls, and Goblins are all members of the same mystical tradition. Not quite occult, but eerily enticing and intriguing.
All in all, it does seem that, at least in the imagination of our younger generations, the Wizard Always Wins.