Isn't Gaming A Sin?

Disclaimer:  The following content is my own opinion, based on my own research on the topic and quiet reflection with God.  Before accepting any of the following is True, I recommend having an earnest discussion with your confessor or other clergy.

One of the more common questions I've heard regarding my beloved hobby is that it's sinful.  After spending a lot of time talking about the topic with clergy, and reading the thoughts of other faithful Catholics online, I've come to conclusion that gaming is like any media:

The use itself is not a sin - it's how the games are used that can be sinful.

Roleplaying games are often separated from other types of games because of how personal the relationship between a player and a character can get.  They are also separated from other games because of two important details from most RPG source material:

• The games exist in a world where magic and the occult exist, and tapping into the darker elements of the universe are possible.
• The games exist in a world that is generally pagan, with a large number of gods and goddesses vying for the worship and souls of the people of the realm.

To believe in either of these two principles in reality would be certainly be considered sinful.  Magic and the occult is at best considered the fantasy of an ill mind, and at worst a cry for help from Satan.  And since there is one God, belief in pagan gods and goddesses is definitely a dangerous path.

However, these sins come from a misuse of the gaming medium.  In my opinion, to imagine things that cannot exist in the realm of reality has the benefit of self-exploration.  

A good gaming experience can put you in situations you could never live first-hand.  In such an experience, you can discover virtues and character traits that are important to you.  You can explore parts of yourself that you find distasteful, and learn how to change them.  You can overcome incredible obstacles through the power of fellowship.  You can ask yourself why a certain type of character class or type draws you towards it, and integrate it into your own life.  You can be a hero of a measure that you never imagine yourself becoming...

And you can discover that you are a hero in reality.  Gaming can act as a focus of inspiration for your own life.  It can help you realize what you aren't getting from the here and now, and drive you to seek what you lack.  It can show you that the wonders that you imagined were just the beginning of what you could achieve in reality if you could put one foot in front of the other, and embark on a true quest of your own.

So is gaming sinful?  Like all things in this life, it certainly can be...but only if you allow yourself to be consumed by it.