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I believe this to be true: that there is absolutely nothing wrong with fantasy or with role-playing in and of themselves.

I believe that having an imaginative, creative mind is a gift. Fantasy is simply an extension of imagination, and is often used in an allegorical way to convey deep moral and ethical truths. C.S. Lewis' works and the Biblical truths that are symbolized within his fantasy novels are timeless, an immortal legacy he left behind.

I believe that J.R.R. Tolkien did much the same with his collective works of fantasy fiction. Even Jesus Himself used parables throughout His entire ministry, using stories to explain the fundamental purpose of His life and His Heavenly Father's gift of salvation.

I also believe that role-playing is not necessarily a form of escapism: even if it is, having sanctuary away from the innumerous stresses that life throws our way can be healthy. Such games began with tabletop role-playing games, and have evolved into video, console and computer role-playing games. Role-playing was first developed as a counseling tool, and later adapted for use in games as a form of entertainment. Role-playing is very similar to acting: you take on the role (or character) of another person and attempt to act out that role. You behave like that person would behave, talk like that person would talk, react like that person would react. These characters are described using various statistics, such as strength, dexterity, wisdom (attributes), alignment, class level, hit points and so forth. Role-playing games tend to be very immersive and time-consuming, to say the least. With the need to constantly advance the character you play through adventuring, encounters and all manner of mundane tasks role-playing games can quickly go from a leisurely way to spend free time to a ravenous monster that devours all a person's time, money, energy and even to a large degree, personality.

Dungeons and Dragons may arguably be the first of its kind to make such games popular. It has, over the thirty plus years since its inception, spawned a huge number of games that are similar in both theme, genre and playability. There are currently over 100 companies printing tabletop role-playing games, and nearly as many companies making computer, console or online games that fall under the RPG umbrella (many of which are made by or are affiliated with the D&D label), World of Warcraft being one of the most popular online versions. A majority of these games have nearly

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