Fantasy

[Fate]

Often, people say that fantasy is a place to escape from reality. Is that really so? What do you think? Is fantasy deceiving yourself or helping you enjoy life... Let me hear your thoughts. This is Final Fantasy after all.



EDIT: Please type out a longer beginning to a thread next time. Thank you very much.

[Cearo]

Personally, I believe that fantasy is ment as a way to help one through life. For example:

A person often fantasizes about having a beautiful house, relationship, vehicle, good job, things of the sort, and it motivates them to accomplish such desires.... But this is only one of many aspects that fantasies can be seen...

Many see it as an escape, as I do... to help them get away from personal problems for a little while... till they can calmly see it in a different way, perhaps one that might have been overlooked.

Then there are those who shirk their responsabilities for the sake of the addiction due to their fantasy... it's really a circumstancial thing...

[Fate]

A person often fantasizes about having a beautiful house, relationship, vehicle, good job, things of the sort, and it motivates them to accomplish such desires.... But this is only one of many aspects that fantasies can be seen...

Yes, I think that part is really true. I don't think that fantasy is escaping reality. It does motivate you to live out your life. Some people think they already know what their lives are gonna be like and they often dream about it. Often times, they stop to see if it's even possible, but when they fantasized about it, it encourages them to live out that life. I also dream a lot and I think fantasy exists to give hope to people.

[Cearo]

Hope... if it weren't for fantasy and dreams, would hope even exist?

[Fate]

I'm not saying that hope wouldn't exist without fantasy, but it's something that's affected by it. The other thing hope comes from would be inspiration I guess.

[DragonHeart]

I can't say for anyone else, but for me fantasy is a way of processing reality. Obviously things like dragons and elves and whatever aren't real, but stories/media containing them aren't any less valid or relevant. If anything I find it to be more relevant than ever, given that the genre can explore facets of humanity that reality just can't define. I believe there's always an underlying truth to a fantasy that, expressed in any other way, would either be illogical or in poor taste. Fantasy can make commentaries on societies that no other type of media can.

Take Tolkien, for example. Orcs, elves, and man. Fantasy. Now take the time period it was written in and re-attach the symbolism in real world terms. Germans, Brits, and Americans. Now it becomes a social commentary, only without the same connotations it would have had he written it as regular fiction. Fantasy can say anything and everything about the human condition without the strings attached. Personally I think it's a genre that isn't given half the consideration it should have, but then I am biased.

So in my case, it helps me enjoy life. Fantasy is an escape, but it's also an often powerful statement of the human experience, whether intentionally or not. Which is why, I think, I'll never tire of it.

~DragonHeart~

ETA: I guess by fantasy you meant daydreaming and the like? I took it to mean the genre as a whole...sorry.

[Jesus Christ]

Fantasy allows people to think "Hey, maybe things don't have to be this shitty everywhere."

I think it's an escape, and a needed one. Shit sucks. People die all the time and rely on markets uncontrollable by us, and have to spend a large portion of their life doing work just to survive. If people never fantasized I bet more would kill themselves than do currently. Some people take it too far, but people do that with everything so that's not a surprise.

I like fantasy/fantasizing. In the real world I am just some guy, but in my fantasy world I am a 9 foot tall god with angel wings and razorblades for feathers who can kick some ass.

I'm going to go eat some peanut butter out of a jar now with a spoon, I was too busy pretending to be awesome to buy groceries and now the store is closed.

[Dragon_Jiriki]

I'm only speaking for myself but I do believe being able to escape to a fantasy world (such as in a book or a game) is a great way to kill stress. At times when I don't feel so good, sometimes just reading a good book or playing a favorite game helps lift the spirits.

There are of course people who have difficulty telling the difference between what's real and what's not. You hear stories about kids killing kids because of something they saw in a game; those kids could not differentate reality and fantasy. I believe most people would say they enjoy retreating to an alternate world from time to time.

[Lithium]

I believe in fantasy, the world of a fantasy, and the state of being in a fantasy.

People use the world of a fantasy to escape from their everyday life. In the world of fantasy anything is possible, from flying through a cloud of cotton candy to the more realistic vision of free falling into the deep ocean and be unharmed. Fantasy, it is a great thing to have, but sometimes a bad thing. I have seen many people get to deep into the their thoughts and start to believe that anything is possible. Yes, fantasy may seem like an unlimited realm of mystery and wonder, but there are some limits to what can happen as an effect. People can kill, mame, or paralize themselves through the reckless behavor some may gain from the world of fantasy.

Yes, I do know we all have fantasies about the world and what it would be like it is was like that, and it is a great escape, but some may have side-effects as I stated before.

And that is my saying on the subjuect for the time being.

[zSoraz]

I think Fantasy is certainly a place to escape to wheter you be stressed or bored. Though, I think there is a difference between fantasy and fantasizing. When you fantasize, you can dream about the most ridiculous things to things as possible as having a mansion, only your unlikely to ever have one. Fantasy, I feel, on the other hand, is a world of impossibilities you can only see with your mind; it can never happen.

You may see a pool, a portal to an underwater realm filled with mystical sea creatures or a mirror the gateway of your life playing at a polar negative. Fantasy is the world at your oyster, you can think freely with it, or you can accept someone else's invitation into their mind through books, movies, and games. Although books are really the only source you can freely morph the creator's story to the likings of your imagination.

As for if fantasy is deceiving or helping. In fantasy it can either help or mislead. It is true some people will believe Fantasy can be real with no consequences, only few though. Those are the ones who are misled. For those who view it only for comfort, it is help. Although, I speak for myself when I see that as I don't know how other people will view Fantasy as. I only see it as comfort and wishful thinking. Sometimes, I wish I could use magic, but I'm not gonna wave my arms and think that some force is gonna fly out or I will have supernatural powers.

[o0CrazyJackal0o]

Fantasy is a broad and amazing thing, pretty much freedom of the mind where we imagine things beyond reality, maybe we all have our own fantasy world where we daydream into, it's really a form of colourful imagination. I for one was amazed when I first broadened my horizons on such a thing, dreams don't cost anything so we can make up anything, well thats my intro to this rather lovely topic, any thoughts people?

[Sinister]

Let me say this in clear words, so no one can ever misunderstand...

Humans are unfit to cope with reality. Every last one of them. Each has a blanket of things so that reality can't get through. People like to push the image that they don't indulge in false hopes or comforts to stave off a feeling that their existence has no meaning. That hopeless empty feeling that says..."I never should have lived this long." They like to think that, a good book, the embrace of a loved one, religion, a video game, problems, pain, anguish, a movie, a vacation, a job, research, intelligence, a manga, some friends, a couple drinks, good food, sex, the heroin needle, some pills, a warm bed, a nice car, a big house, everything they ever wanted will make them feel like they don't have to face death or face reality.

The truth is...there is no reality, not to a human. And there never will be, nor should there be... The person who finally realizes that having all of those things doesn't change reality... The person with only reality to sleep with, eat and drink is the single loneliest and most wretched creature ever to crawl the face of the earth. And even the mere thought of such a being, should cripple us with fear and make our days forever gray. A person who has lost fantasy, truly has lost their soul.

-Sin

[Ulteka Mako]

I will have to say that fantasy is a place to let your mind just relax. After a hard day dealing with the real world and all the drama, it is nice to let your mind wonder to a place that you don't have to worry about. It a stress reliever. I go and smoke a little marijuana and then play some God Of War 2, Final Fantasy, or something of that sort. Also it gives your mind a chance to be creative.

[Eternal Romeo]

This has become my outlook on fantasy; and yes, it is my original quote.

He's not 'humanity at large'.

He must be some sort of deity, so the story goes.

Don't get me wrong: I'm a devoted addict of fantasy, but when you spend years reading a fiction, you come to learn that much of it isn't so fabricated at all.

When you're too analytical, you have the power to rip the gods right out of the sky.

I'll let you think on that, and determine your own meaning for it.

[Lazarus]

Fantasy for me is the closest I can get to living in a world full of mystical creatures, unworldly powers and all the other great things that grace our thoughts and games. In regards to fantasy games for me I can actually be in those worlds and do all the things I wish were possible, I`m sure most of us would love it if what goes on in these games could be reality! The great thing about fantasy is that your imagination is your only limit... and if you ever run out of ideas then there is always someone else to lend a hand!

[Rikkuffx]

Well I do believe that the fantasy stuff like books and games do help people enjoy life a little more. Like if i'm bored or mad or just need an escape from people i'll go play a video game or read a book. its kind of like a vacation without taking one. It does help the soul,its kinda like dreaming and that takes you out of the world and sometimes you just wanna keep dreaming. Its a way of just relaxing and getting away for abit. That's part of teh reason I played WoW but then it just got boring and I need to save money so I quit but have been thinking about playing it again because i'm starting to feel the need to get away.

[Yesha]

I use "Fantasy" as an art.. I just think of aLL the magicaL things.. fLying horse.. peopLe w/ Long ears.. etc. and I come up w/ a better idea.. it reaLLy heLps me aLot in my art cLass.. LoL! And aLso I think "Fantasy" heLps me or the other peopLe to forget atLeast for a minute how bad their probLems are.. it heLps to Lessen the probLem they carrying by thinking of there are stiLL soLution and it widens.. our mind..

[Ultima Warrior]

Fantasy can be an escape from reality.
personally I think th "real world" is a fantasy that someone thought up to get away from all the real things in their reality.

[Zidane-Tribal]

Without Fantasy we wouldn't be dreaming. Dreaming is like fantasy. It helps people to escape from life and into a different world for a while. Some people get completely immersed in this fantasy world though and they often find it hard to sink back into reality. Daydreaming is another way of zoning out of this world.