I personally use RPGs to relieve stress caused by the "real" world. And no they are no set in current times, but it is nice to relieve your frustrations by killing a few enemies. Better than by killing a few people, IMHO, and far less jail time. I am not saying that I couldn't be out making a difference somewhere instead of being in front of a computer playing BG2 (or at a posting site for that matter) but sometimes it is benifical to go to a play of happiness and solitude and forget about life for an hour (or two or ten).
And no, you can't slot people in "good" or "bad" but then again, RPGs have varying levels of good and bad, too. I don't think that you can measure a man by the amount of good one does vs the evil one does. We have all done things in our lives that we won't want to find on a posting board, but do they make us "evil"?? What about the Doctor who saves lives for fourty years, only to find out that he has been doing mercy killings on the sly for years? Does that make him Dr Evil? Not really for us to decide.
The most important point I want to say is that in D&D RPGs, the most successful parties are very diverse, and the strongest party uses the inherent abilities of all their members. The Strongest Fighter and Most Fervent Priest and the Smartest Mages are all equals in the party. It is the Dissimilarities that make them stronger. We need to celebrate our diversity, not dwell on its strangeness. In RPGs, different Races and Creeds work together for a common goal and I for one wish that we could transfer this into the real world. So I disagree with your point that RPGs could be a better Role Model for us. I think that, in a very sneeky way, it already is.
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