Putting on my psycho-analysis hat. ( Warning, I am not a professional psychologist )
I tell you, I'm an old guy. We didn't have the internet until I was in my 30's. We didn't cell phones either.
When it started out, it was all fun and games. But then comercial businesses and information brokers got in the game.
Hackers and viruses are everywhere, it's not as fun as it used to be.
I know a lot of guys with what are in "my opinion" (yes, it's just my opinion) bad habits. Things like smoking, gambling,
drinking too much, taking drugs. They don't have the money for these things really, so they miss car payments, rent payments, house payments.. to support their bad habits. Because they can't stop, they want to, but they can't.
Enter video games and virtual reality. Now of course all video games aren't bad at a base level, but...
For some people... many people... video games and virtual reality are just an escape from "real" reality.
and often, I have to spend money to support my "habit". Cigarettes cost money, booze costs money, drugs cost money,
hookers cost money, (can I say that here?) .. video games cost money.
You have the initial cost of the game, sure... but then you have all the add-ons, and upgrades. It's addictive.
I know people who spends, hundreds,.. ?thousands?? of dollars to get a faster car, a bigger space-ship, a stronger
weapon, a more powerful spell. And just like the alcohol and drug addicts, they're so addicted that they can't stop.
Just like the drug users and alcoholics... it's just money to escape reality. I recently read
about a guy who spent 96 hours straight in virtail reality. Many young kids these days, don't even know the difference anymore.
Lets spend money on avatars, houses, cars,... and none of these things are real. The house isn't real, the food isn't real.
They won't keep you from being hungry or cold. It's just a virtual economy.. with your REAL money.
The wife you are ignoring, the job, the bills, the trouble-some kids you're ignoring, ... they'll all just go away if I spend enough money to escape it for a while.
.. except all those problems are still there, and often worse, when I come back to reality.
Ok, taking my psycho hat back off now... holding up my virtual shield, ready for all the replies now.
...or I will be, soon as I buy this insult-protection spell.