Addiction to virtual worlds

After playing around with second life for a while I realized I wasn't getting very far. It was extremely difficult to find the things I wanted to attach to my avatar, and it was also very hard to get used to all of the different features. Now I'm not saying I dont like second life. Far from it. I think that its amazing some of the things that can be done in the game. But thats exactly what it is: A game. I think people get WAY to into virtual worlds like second life. I realized this a long time ago when my friend grant, all he did, wanted to do, and thought about, was a game called starcraft. He would call me up at ridiculous times in the night, morning, day and otherwise, and ask if I wanted to play. He was addicted.

I have noticed that addiction can come easily with virtual wolrds. When games have such extensive plots, character lists, worlds, etc. etc., its hard not to be sucked in. I myself play Call Of Duty 4 almost religiously. But I play not for a communication with others, nor because there is a deep world to delve into. I play purely on a recreational, entertainment base. However, I must admit, I'm addicted to pwning n00bs.

I hope that someday people can realize that games are games, and only that. Some people base their lives around what they do in a video game. I think we need to get over that fantasy, and start living in the real world, WHILE still being able to enjoy a video game.