Control your reality

Video games. Online role-playing. "Dungeons and Dragons." "World of Warcraft." Getting mental images of glasses-wielding, freckly-faced teenage boys congregating on your living room couch, obsessed with the fantasy worlds that they've created for themselves? Maybe you are a fan of these games yourself; you enjoy taking that much-needed break from your daily stresses to join in on a quick "Call of Duty" match with your virtual buddies.

The truth is that these types of fantasy and role-playing games have become more popular than ever with recent technological advances, and not only are they sources of masterful, all-encompassing entertainment, but they also serve as a means of therapy for coping with life issues ranging from acceptance and identity problems to the loss of a loved one, among many others. 

Escapism is defined as a mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life. It can also be used as a term to define the actions people take to help relieve persisting feelings of depression or general sadness.

"It's all about a sense of belonging, and maybe a bit about killing stuff," said Ethan Gilsdorf, author of "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms." During his book reading and Q&A at DePaul's Loop Campus Barnes and Noble bookstore in mid-April, Gilsdorf discussed the idea of gaming as a way to escape, his own personal relationship with fantasy gaming and what he discovered about the millions of others who engage in the gaming world, all of which he presents in his novel, published by The Lyons Press.

"In the past, people had antisocial associations with gaming in their minds, but as we've progressed the gamer stereotypes have changed," said Gilsdorf. "We are creating alternate identities for ourselves, putting the best foot forward, so to speak, through outlets like Facebook, Avatar, online gaming, ‘Second World'… We want to be the hero. In these mindsets even the smallest person can change the world." Gilsdorf said that the rise of the Internet proved to have substantial influence on the rise of this gaming culture, with countless numbers of live action role-playing games (LARPs) available for users.

For Gilsdorf, coming of age in a time without Internet, his gaze fell on the realm of "Dungeons and Dragons," a fantasy role-playing game of the imagination: part acting, part storytelling, part social interaction, part war game and part dice-rolling. When Gilsdorf was 12, his mother had a brain aneurysm, which resulted in serious, permanent complications that significantly altered the way she was able to play the role of "mom" in his real-life. "‘Dungeons and Dragons,'" Gilsdorf said, "was my ticket out. It was a way for me to escape, to not deal with what was happening in my life."  He says that by breaking away from the harsh reality of his life and into the realm of fantasy, he became more of a well-adjusted social being, now having control over things that happened to him in his "world." He felt empowered.

DePaul sophomore Greg Makis is familiar with that feeling. "I know what it's like to want to get away from reality and immerse yourself in another world," he said. "Sometimes I get so stressed out with classes and homework, work and my friends, taking a break to play video games is the ultimate solution. I can tune everything out and focus on something that I enjoy doing, and that makes me feel good after playing."

Setting out on his book-writing journey, Gilsdorf aimed to discover the appeal of fantasy, and what that says about our culture. Traveling around the (real) world to massive fantasy conventions and the "Lord of The Rings" filming locations, meeting "Harry Potter" bands, participating in medieval reenactment societies and "World of Warcraft" guilds, he encountered millions of others just like himself. These people found solace in an alternate reality that they created for themselves, where they could escape their everyday lives and live out fantasies that would have been unthinkable otherwise, trapped in the cage of "real" life.

As depicted in 2008's motion picture, "Role Models," medieval live action role-playing games are also a popular way to join in the fantasy realm. Gina Nusko, a DePaul freshman, said that participating in real life games is one of her year's highlights. "I am a part of ‘LAIRE,' a live action role-playing group in New Jersey, where I'm from," said Nusko. "I always look forward to getting together with the other members and spending time playing out our roles. It's like a big camping trip, sort of. Everyone has a lot of fun. I could see how easy it is to categorize this type of thing as escapism, but I view that term in a positive light," she said. "Going out to the events helps me clear my mind, it's relaxing and really, really awesome."

Acknowledging the bad reputation that gaming and role playing games, both online and real-time, are often associated with, Gilsdorf pointed out that any normal person "would never want to do any one thing to exclusion." As with any activity, gaming should be approached with moderation, as is usually the case. He says there is a lot of unnecessary blame on gaming for societal problems, and too often gaming is singled out as a problem, when in reality it can be extremely beneficial to its users. "There are bad people in real life, and there are bad people in games, we all need to remember that basic human kindness [when playing games], and not hide behind the screen. Truthfully, oftentimes these role-playing games mirror real life, with the additions of a firsthand ability to add to yourself; more courageous, smart, savvy."

The draw to these games is fairly easy to understand: in these worlds, you are free to be the best version of yourself. You can look how you want to look, act how you want to act, say what you want to say. Gilsdorf offered several examples of people using these games as a way to escape their reality and jump into a new world, feeding off of the values-based, level-rising atmosphere of gaming that can often be more beneficial to their overall mentality. "One is found in Phyllis," Gilsdorf said, "an established woman who had no interest in gaming or fantasy play until the day her teenage daughter turned her on to ‘World of Warcraft.' She was having a hard time with her husband, and WOW served as a way for her to better herself, almost unconsciously. She was excited by this game, she found herself being more aggressive and taking charge in the real world, thereby gaining a better outlook on her own life.