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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mercurius" data-source="post: 4375727" data-attributes="member: 59082">That is not at all what I am saying. In the context of your question, what I am saying is that A) A self-designed campaign world exercises more imagination than a pre-designed one (at least in the creation of it; in actual play it doesn't matter as much), and B) only certain activities actually "suppress the imagination," and they have to do with imposing imagery through some form of (probably visual) media, such as computer or TV. I see no possible negative effect in terms of the imagination from playing tabletop-style D&D.And as someone pointed out early in the thread, D&D can itself vary in "imaginativeness." About six or seven years ago I was in a group in which there was a debate about using miniatures, which were increasingly becoming a part of our game-play. At first we just used them in combat then we started using them almost as board game pieces, moving down hallways and such. At that point one of the players objected, saying it was interfering with his ability to imagine what was going on; he wanted to get rid of miniatures entirely. I can't remember the details, but I think we decided to tone it down and reserve them for combat only. At the time I was mixed--I wanted to use them for combat for the obvious benefits they offered, but didn't like our increasing reliance upon them. And the fact of the matter is that when you are looking at a physical object or representation you are not imagining something (or at least it is more difficult); now one might be able to switch back and forth, which I think is the ideal approach so that you get the benefit of both worlds, but external images can become an obstacle to internal images, if one relies upon them.In the case of video games there is no room for internal images, or more specifically, image-making (imagining), especially in extremely absorbing games like World of Warcraft and Everquest. This is obvious while playing, but one could object that if you aren't playing then you can create internal images. But the question becomes, where do those images come from? Are they self-generated or remembered from something external? As some people have said, it seems that the more one plays such games, the more the images dominate their consciousness. Of course this extends beyond video games (anyone who has played a lot of chess in a short period of time knows the experience of having chess moves in your head when you're trying to fall asleep...kind of a hassle!).My view is that there is a spectrum, a hierarchy if you will, that has to do with the degree to which images are self-generated or come from some external source, whether memory or sensory. The very act of self-generation (of images and ideas) works and develops the "imaginative muscle". The less one self-generates, the less one uses the imaginative muscle, and the weaker it becomes.(Now of course one may play WoW 4 hours a day and counter-act this effect to some degree by engaging in other imaginative activities--like playing tabletop RPGs; but you could say that is like eating donuts then going to the gym--the effect of each is relative to the prevalence of the other).I will say that from reading this thread and the experience of those that feel they have been negatively impacted by WoW, and their subsequent "recovery," I don't think computer games and tv will actually "kill" (as in destroy) imagination, except in two cases: 1) Through very long-term and extremely excessive use; and 2) In very young children, especially before the age of 7, who are developing the imaginative faculty during that time. It seems that what happens with adults and adolescents when they play video games is a combination of the generally agreed upon "time sink" and the more controversial suppression or numbing of the imaginative faculty which, thankfully, seems to reverse when excessive usage ceases.This thread has helped me better understand and refine my own perspective, which will hopefully continue to evolve. If someone were to present strong evidence that playing WoW and other video games, as well as watching television, in more than moderate amounts, is NOT suppressive of the imagination, I would be happy to change my opinion. Or it may be that I change by opinion through further contemplation. But from everything I've experienced, read, studied, learned from educators and psychologists, as well as the anecdotes in this thread, my opinion stands, if adjusted slightly (again, in that it seems that, in adults at least, the effect is more of "suppression" than of "permanent damage").</blockquote>

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