To many visitors, the University of Glasgow looks like something out of a fantasy novel, with its neo-Gothic buildings looming from a hilltop location, boasting turrets, statues and vaulted cloisters. 

That reputation is likely to be further reinforced as it launches the first research center in the world to focus solely on fantasy. According to the university, the Centre for the Fantasy and the Fantastic comes five years after academics created the world’s first ever masters in Fantasy Literature. The center is led by Dr Dimitra Fimi and Dr Rob Maslen and will look at different expressions of fantasy in literature, art, illustration, games and gaming, film and TV.