Ars Narrationis, Mind Theatre: Call it what you like, but Role-playing Games are a fascinating way of spending part of your spare time.
From the outside it seem pretty bland. Several people sitting round a table in front of their notes, arguing over a beer or a cup of tea and rolling some dices occasionally. The beauty of a role-playing game is revealed if you look below this surface.
Role-playing games are about actively creating a shared story. First, there is no final script to follow. The story has a starting point and maybe some ideas of possible strands of a plot, but as the players just have the concepts of the persons they embody, they are forced to make decisions of their own at each encounter, using their imagination. Second, a RPG is all about interaction. Players have to express their decisions, are reacting on the actions of their friends and have to act as a group to overcome obstacles of the plot.
The story could be as simple or complex as you like, but the options are limitless. Quasi-medieval sceneries like Chybisa or sword & sorcery fantasies, ancient or modern myths, visions of the future a la Jules Verne or George Lucas, spies, swashbucklers or rogue archaeologists: It’s always the beauty of imagination, of improvisation, of teamwork — the beauty of storytelling.
Is it escapism? Maybe, but not more than any other hobby and less than simply sitting passively in front of the TV.