An Escapist's World

An Escapist's World

The world we live in today is boring. We are driven to go to our school and work because of the dumbest reason possible, which is because we have to. An escapist's world thrives off of doing what we don't have to do. If you are into escapism, I'm here to explain my life and how I escape the boring life I'm forced to live.

I love to start by heading to the local game store. That's how I start. Movies can only do so much for me. I prefer to grab something that I can play, and the less detail, the more I can imagine myself as someone else. I've never felt comfortable in my own skin. We live in a modern age that loves MMOs and pays less attention to pen and paper RPGs. What would an escapist blog be without mentioning RPGs? One thing that I really enjoy is the acting I get to do while playing paper and pen. It's healthy to be creative, and RPGs let me play a role that I can bring to life.

If you aren't into paper and pen, or are just looking for something a little bit different, online MMORPGs are one place that you can easily find people who wish to RP with you. You are already on a game where you assume the role of someone who is not you. It's a natural fit to play a role on a video game. You can easily find entire guilds who are into role playing. Whether you have Steam or PSN, you are sure to find fellow role players on these exciting platforms. The first place to look is obviously free-to-play games as their player base is high. When something doesn't have a permanent price tag attached, you are bound to find many like-minded people who are looking to escape their own dismal reality. Give it a try, you might have a lot of fun and make some new friends!

Where you can't roleplay, escapism takes on an individual turn. In isolation, we often try to escape our lonely reality. The mind has a way of creating friends when we have none. The friends we create are very real in our head, but, to the rest of the world, they are imaginary. The realm of fantasy that our mind perceives is one of invisible dimensions. We are afraid of the harsh realities that accompany the fact that we are alone. We all want friends. My sympathy goes out to those who have to live alone, or those who simply struggle to make friends and maintain the relationships that come with friendship. If you are struggling out there, I want to warn you of the dangers that comes with escapism. Escapism is only healthy when the mind perceives it as escapism. Any delusional thought or hallucinations interpreted by our brain during escapism as reality is one hundred percent unhealthy. We can suffer serious blows to our lives and our cognitive facilities when we take escapism too far. You are not actually the roles you reenact from a movie or a video game. It is simply acting and putting on another costume.

Cosplay allows us to dress up as our favorite characters and take truly unique pictures for our social media and other websites. It is customary to dress up for certain conventions in places like California. This provides a healthy outlet for our imaginations to run wild and develop a sort of friendship with what normally be strangers. There are plenty of professional cosplayers who attend conventions that you can meet and take pictures with. Cons are all about the fans, as they make it possible.

You shouldn't see the door as closed but instead open. Right now, I'm playing some older games on my system that I never have completed before. I'm playing Dead Rising and Risen 2. Each game offers a bit of immersion that I can really get into. Frank West's camera is amazing on Dead Rising, where I've always wanted to be a pirate like Patty on Risen, argh! If you are home alone, why not pop in a movie like Sucker Punch? Have you seen that film? It is super trippy and like an acid trip to watch. It covers some intense aspects of Escapism and should already be considered a cult classic. All the good films get zero publicity. It is a real bummer. I'll be watching whatever I can, playing whatever I can, and adding to this blog daily. I want you to know that there is still some of us out there that are fighting. (Fighting imaginary dragons, that is!) Keep on living, and try not to let the outside world get to you. The stones they cast at you are thrown merely because they are jealous of us. We are an intelligent group of minds who know it's what is on the inside that counts. Life can be lived in two ways: one, by accepting fate, and, two, by attempting to change your fate. Which path are you following?

-C.P.