Unhealthy obsessions with fantasy worlds

Post Reply New Topic

I enjoy anime and video games a lot. Mainly because it's entertaining and a fun to play and watch.
Problem is, is that there are some who choose to obsess over it in a bad way. People who hate their lives and use entertainment products as a vehicle to escape. Yes, this is unhealthy and a sign of serious problems. Such as not being able to discern reality from fiction. And ridiculous paralells between the fantasy characters and the viewer's own life. While relating to struggles is fine, actually saying that you are the hero is a bit crazy.

I use role-playing and video games as "escapes" from reality in much the same way as I use weekends and vacations as "escapes" from work - pleasant interludes between shifts at the stress factory.

Before there were these computer games, I made up fantasy worlds, which had cities, people, and mythical beings in them. I needed that world very much, as a break from the horrible childhood I was undergoing. It was a welcome place, and I still visit there from time to time, today.

I don't think that there is anything wrong with availing yourself of fantasy worlds, as long as you don't cheat yourself of valuable real life experiences. Only you know what those may be.

depends on how far you go. If you take up something like video games, doing artwork, fanfic, etc., you can channel that, ration it, and keep the two separate . Imagination has it's uses, so don't discount it too much.

Me too. I had science fiction and other kinds of worlds, and I taught myself science (mostly electronics) to make my science fiction machines work. And when they really worked, they were real inventions. I also from time to time have programmed simulations of my fantasy worlds as video games. These ways I could share my imagination with friends and other people. Many of the things I made are still considered futuristic since no one else is making them yet.

I'm fairly sure most of us already know that there is a very fine line between loving stuff and letting it take over your lives. Hey, imagination can be useful, as pakled said before.

::had very much already learned that in the past::

i'm not saying there's anything wrong with imagination. Realize there's a fine line that's all I'm saying.

I use Second Life as an outlet for meeting people, its not quiet an obsession, but its has helped me relate to people in RL
as a side note, the group Wrong Planet is up and running in SL
http://slurl.com/secondlife/enoch/78/225/21/

"Unhealthy obsessions with fantasy worlds". I can't keep up with people's fantasies so that's why I go online...

There's a big difference between "being obsessed with a fantasy world" and "being unable to distinguish fantasy from reality".

Agreed.

I constantly imagine my own worlds in my mind all the time. It helps me deal with things in real life by keeping me calm. So far, I haven't had any "unhealthy obsessions" as all the obsessions I've had and have tend to help vastly more than than they "hurt" (if they even do at all). For one, they make me happy (and I've noticed that the more "obsessed" I am with something the happier I am and the easier it is for me to cope with problems in real life), two, they keep me from getting bored, and three, relating boring things such as homework to them helps me get it done faster.

Basically, my obsessions and "fantasy worlds" have never really interfered with real life in a bad way-I am perfectly capable of understanding what is real and what is not. For me, the only real negative thing I've experienced from having a big "obsession with a fantasy world" is having my brother being annoyed at me for it, and well, he's always annoyed with me anyway. xD I'm aware that others might not see it the same way, but for me these interests are a big help, and certainly not a problem for me. But well, everyone's different, but this is how it is for me. ^^

No such thing as an unhealthy obsession with fantasy worlds, in my view. If that's what you enjoy, go for it.

I have a fascination with the imaginary cities I created. I came up with the idea from playing Sim City.

Sim City is also what influenced my choice of career (I'm an urban planning major).

Live and let live, I say.