FINDING FANTASY

Caroline Scott, a sophomore, admits she wouldn't go to theatres to see the first "Lord of the Rings" movie until a friend forced her to. She says the world of fantasy entertainment was not of any interest to her.\n"Complete peer pressure is how I was first introduced," Scott says. "It didn't look that interesting. I'm not a big sci-fi/fantasy person. I watch it more for the relationships of the characters."\nAfter viewing the entire "LOTR" trilogy, Scott claims to be a fanatic of the series and is now reading the books by J.R.R. Tolkien.\nAccording to a press release by New Line Cinema, "Lord of The Rings: Return of The King" internationally grossed 42 percent ahead of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." With the latest movie of the series doing so much better at the box office than its predecessor, it appears people who dress up as hobbits and wizards aren't the only ones flocking to the theatres in search of an escape into a different world.\nFantasy genre entertainment looks to be escaping its classification as "dorky" and is finding its niche in mainstream popular culture as attitudes are evolving.\nFreshman Jenn Lockridge is among the new wave of fantasy enthusiasts.\n"I thought it looked stupid from commercials," she says of 'LOTR.' But after viewing the movies, she says she just couldn't get enough and has since read the entire series.\nTolkien's 'LOTR' stories are but one stop on the journey of fantasy fiction. Another immensly popular tale is J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' series which, despite its youthful slant, is not only being read by elementary school children. The latest book of the series, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," broke all selling records at Barnes & Noble Booksellers during its release last June.\nFreshman Karen Green was recently inspired to read the books because of the increased attention they have received.\n"So many people have made such a huge thing out of it," she says. "I'm kind of jumping on the bandwagon, which is something I don't usually do."\nShelly Vingis, a Barnes & Noble employee, says the store has experienced an increase in sales of fantasy fiction, especially the "LOTR" triology and the "Harry Potter" series.\n"'Lord of the Rings' is a big hit, especially since the movie came out," Vingis says.\nAfter reading popular books such as "LOTR" and "Harry Potter," customers often come in looking for something similar. Vingis says the store's fantasy fiction section has experienced a large increase in the last few years, growing in size and selection.\nOther fantasy books that are becoming more popular include "Manga," a book form of Japanese anime, and "The Forgotten Realm." \nBooks and movies are not where the quest for adventure stops. Fantasy genre entertainment takes on a three dimensional form in what is known as role playing. IU Live Action is a role playing club which hosts different live action role playing games in which members dress up in costumes and interact as their characters.\n"It is a creative outlet for people interested in theater, writing, history, critical theory, etc," says Alyc Helms, a three-year member of the club.\nThe club started with less than a dozen players, and over the past three years membership has grown to over 60 regular players. The club's membership has been increasing alongside the rising popularity of fantasy movies and novels. \n"There is truth to the popular assumption that (role playing) often is associated with an interest in fantasy and the fantastic," Helms says.\nWhile role playing contains elements in common with movies and literature, it is uniquely its own field of entertainment.\n"We aren't just echoing the events of 'LOTR' or 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' we're envisioning new stories that reference those works," Helms says.\nShanna Johnting has been a member of IU Live Action for two years. As a fan of fantasy literature and cinema, the club allows her to escape into another world on a level beyond reading or watching a movie.\n"I've always been a big fan of film, particularly the rash of fantasy films that came out in the late 1980s -- 'Legend,' 'Labyrinth' and 'The Dark Crystal,' for example," she says. "An organization that focuses on telling stories of the fantastic appeals to me greatly."\nFor more on IU Live Action, visit http://mypage.iu.edu/~ahelms/changeling.htm.