The fantasy genre gets a wrap for being only about mythical creatures and made-up worlds. In part, it does deserve this reputation. Books like The Lord of the Rings (1954) and movies like The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro, 2017) set the tone for this mentality. But over the past few decades, fantasy has come to mean different things.

There are, however, underlying tones in this new type of fantasy: it’s whatever transports the viewer, player, or reader to a different world or location. One which is much more active, than passive. This new type of fantasy, in which you transport to a new world that’s not completely made up, is being seen increasingly not just in traditional entertainment but in other sectors like live casinos. It lets you experience something neither within your grasp nor unattainable.

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (David Slade, 2018; pictured above) is an interactive fantasy movie. viewers make the decisions for the main character. Of course, Bandersnatch isn’t the first choose-your-own-adventure movie to be released. However, it did allow modern generations to see the fantasy genre as something separate from the previous works they grew up with, such as the Harry Potter series. In other words, many realized the fantasy genre isn’t in a box that consists of just wizards and warlocks.

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Live games and books

Alongside with film, live games and books can also transport people to a fantastic reality.

Traditionally, online casinos have table games with AI dealers. But since today’s new fantasy genre involves transporting you to a different place without necessarily featuring made-up elements, the casino sector offers live games. For instance, if you want to play in a real casino with real human dealers without leaving your home, you can play against Genesis casino live dealers. You are transported to a new place where you receive real-time requests by dealers, like when to place your bet, just as you would in a brick-and-mortar casino. You’re in a new world.

Everyone knows one fantasy book, but the genre’s changed. More and more, we’re seeing fantasy books have less magic and focus on situations that, while far away, aren’t unimaginable. Take Stephen King’s The Stand. There are traditional fantasy elements, but overall, it’s a story that centers on an influenza pandemic that kills most of the world’s population.

With Covid-19, the book (which was written in the 1970s) acquires an extra dimension. The Stand transports readers into a fantasy world that has suddenly become palpable. In that sense, we can classify The Stand as fitting the mold of the new type of fantasy genre we’re seeing in movies and live games.

The fantasy genre has sub-sections. Fantasy can mean witches and ghouls or, it can mean experiencing a world not that different from your current one. And while the mediums the fantasy genre uses – movies, online games and books – remain the same for each sub-section, they also have their own peculiarities. It just depends on what you’re looking for.