"Blood for the Blood God!" Engaging with Gods and Religion in the Warhammer 40K Universe

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48783/gameviron.v20i20.244

Keywords:

Warhammer, Tabletop, Miniatures, Flow, gamevironments

Abstract

In the tabletop miniature wargame of Warhammer 40,000 (40K), religion is everywhere. Whether participants choose to play as a techpriest, a battle nun Adepta Sororitas or a Chaos Daemon, they are engaging with the religious themes of the Games Workshop franchise. This report gives an update on my current research project at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School where I am investigating the religious lore of 40K, how painters/players navigate these themes and whether they experience flow while painting.

Author Biography

  • Tara Smith, Center for the Study of World Religions, Divinity School

    Dr Tara B. M. Smith is an early career interdisciplinary academic that works in the fields of science fiction, literature, religion and popular culture. Currently she is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for the Study of World Religions at the Harvard Divinity School, Boston, writing on religious ideas and experiences of people that paint and play within the science fiction “grim dark” universe of Warhammer 40,000.

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Published

2024-07-13

Issue

No. #20 (2024)

Section

IASGAR PhD Day Reports

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