gamevironments: Narrative

This report presents an interim update on a postdoctoral research project examining religion within the tabletop miniature wargame Warhammer 40,000 (40K), produced by Games Workshop. The study investigates three core questions: whether painters experience meditative flow states while assembling and painting miniatures, what forms of sacred experience and meaning-making players undergo in relation to the universe's religious content, and how the game's problematic religious elements, including its ironic theocratic dictatorship and Chaos deities, are understood by players inside and outside the community. The author argues that new meanings of religious experience are emerging among players through community engagement and the act of painting.

The methodology centers on semi-structured interviews with 12 participants recruited from Warhammer Facebook groups, each required to paint at least two hours weekly. Over six months, participants were interviewed three times and kept reflective painting journals. Interview questions draw on Csikszentmihalyi's flow criteria, supplemented by measures such as unusual physical sensations and time distortion. Online analysis of Reddit subforums supplements the interviews. The author situates the work against critiques of flow theory, particularly Soderman's argument that flow may sustain dominant social realities.

Initial findings indicate that all participants reported flow states consistent with Csikszentmihalyi's criteria, and that painting appeared to reduce anxiety and improve mental health. Participants also described the hobby's social dimensions, including in-person gaming and online community critique, as mitigating isolation. The report notes that 40K players engage with the lore across multiple media, including miniatures, video games, literature, and forums, and that the project seeks to move beyond narrative-focused studies of religion in games toward sociological, actor-centered approaches.