World of Warcraft

Now, before continuing, I don't want people to get me wrong. I'm all for a bit of mass slaughter and general destruction online, especially of anything German (no offence). Call of Duty etc., no problem. However, I don't really get World of Warcraft and other such games. As a means of stress relief etc., nothing really beats ventilating or blowing apart other people in a virtual world. The Panzerfaust is obviously the best weapon on CoD, as it provides the biggest bang. But, those people who inhabit the World of Warcraft appear to loose all touch with reality.

Regularly, I hear tales of all night stints with only fantasy women involved. Under some conditions this might be acceptable, but not when they are wandering around a land populated by all manner of mutants and armed with a claymore or polearm. The real world becomes secondary to these people and Warcraft becomes everything. Constant discussions of last nights adventures between addicts over breakfast can get somewhat boring. Hearing of a fine polearm battle for the n'th time can result in temporary loss of consciousness. However, some people have taken it even further. A Korean couple married online, presumably going on to consumate the marriage virtually. I guess it beats contraception, but somehow can't be the same.

For some, Warcraft at least provides an escape from letching at the neighbours through a telescope and the possibility of arrest from said neighbour. It evens allows some rest and recreation time away from the family, but at some point you must talk with those you share a house with. Although an unpleasant thought, an occasional conversation between the gamer and their wife is required to prevent a hole in the bank account even larger than that caused by a good gaming PC. Who are these gamers and what sort of people are they? Do they like the sort of domineering, aggressive women to be found online and fantasize about them as an ideal boss? Are they being so sucked into Warcraft that reality becomes boring and their next polearm fix is all that matters. Does riding into battle on a reindeer, dressed as Santa Claus over Christmas not say something about them?