Fantasy - An Essential Component of Reality - a look at mindplay versus real world as showcased by the game, Dungeons and Dragons

Fantasy - An Essential Component of Reality Many boys who were born in the late 1940s to early 1950s amused themselves in the long hours of their growing up by playing at war. Toy rifles were plentiful. Toy pistols fired caps, minute power charges that put the "bang" in "Bang, you're dead." Plastic soldiers, fixed into positions of bayonet wielding, or machinegun firing, fought endless battles against memories of enemies from two wars past, Korea, …

…parents were, perhaps, but then, that's always so, isn't it? Fantasy sets the stage for reality, and acts as an escape as well. It is an essential component of mental health and should be nourished. Whether that nourishment takes the form of a book, a movie, a computer game or a good old fashioned sit down version of Dungeons and Dragons with some like minded friends, fantasy just makes reality that much easier to take.