it is the feeling of accomplishment. we interact with people online, we build in-game relationships. we are gamers! i have played title such as: everquest frontiers, final fantasy XI online, maple story and others. now i only listed a few games here because a good game can consume years of your life! do not be to harsh now, it is not all for nothing. the items in game can have cash value and the account itself maybe sold for cash. MMO's have a community of players, this allows people to stand out and be known as the avatar who represents them. in this community you can be important to people and gain in game fame. in a game you get a clean slate. you can become rich and experience some of the same feelings as one would in the real world but in the game. the allure can cause addiction and endless hours of alienating friends and family. i know that sounds horrible but it is a reality. these games can be a bit too much, like a drug/fix type relationship, if a teen is allowed many hours at a time to play unsupervised. many of the newer games explain this some how, but everquest was the first to reach headlines that got to me, and have ways of rewarding you for time away or give warnings and tell how long you have been playing. then came a very undesired effect, some people wanted to play the games more then anything else on earth. it was food, water, air, COMPANIONSHIP, COMPETITION, and most of all made sleep for the weak. they suffered financially. naturally, losing a loyal base was not a good business model, this side affect was addressed in new updates/versions and design.
i mean gaming is serious stuff.. watch this youtube video i found.
