War. Is it necessary?

War, or Bush’s folly, is not a subject to be glib about. If we’ve learned anything from the, “Greatest Generation” it is the folly of lunging headlong into the so-called glories of life-and-death struggles. Bullets do not fade. Some wounds never heal. World War I was called the “War to end all wars,” yet in reality, that couldn’t be the farthest from the truth. Centuries of conflict, intertwined within the lives of the maimed, the slain and the paupers, have taught us the harsh reality of war. It is harsh. It is unforgiving.

Yet, despite it all, fantasy is rooted within this animalistic culture of violence. Look at Age of Conan, yet another game spawned from the primal need to inflict as much gore and hurt on your fellow opponent. Darkfall, one of the more anticipated MMORPGs, promotes their graphics engine by stating, “You can see the wounds on other’s faces,” as if seeing the blood seep from an open sore was a good thing.

In seeing this, there is only one truth. Fantasy and War are intertwined. Conflict, like any story worth telling, is delved into the complexities of nations doing combat on the fields. This is the answer to the question, the deprecating truth that our mother’s don’t want to admit. So far, war is necessary in any great imagery of fantasy. What would Modisett’s Recluse Saga been without the war between Order and Chaos? What would Tolkein’s masterpiece been without Sauron?

Cool for games, not so much for the variety of fantasy.