As we all become more and more influenced by the Internet in our daily lives, many people who engage in virtual economies and universes are often found conflicting there real life with their virtual counterparts.
For instance, after playing World of Warcraft for 2-3 years, as many of the 9 million plus people have been doing so, it requires a time investment or commitment. To become one of the most powerful characters on the server, it requires the dedication and cooperation of working with 25-40 people through verbal strategy on microphones, regularly, to master challenging content.
This may sound easier then it is, as coordinating 25 people for anything can be a challenge in itself. Now, getting these 25 people to cooperate, and carefully time specific strategies and techniques, in order to get the positive reinforcement of the ultimate, epic reward.
What started in college when I had plenty of free time on my hands has carried into my post college graduation working career. As one could imagine, working a regular 40 hour part time job, a 20-30 hour/week part time job, and supporting a full time fiancé through graduate school, on top of meeting with my raiding friends, does not leave much time for anything else.
The worst is having your guild/raiding friends mad at you for not making it to a raid on time (as one person dropping out can cancel the raid for 24 other people), and having your fiancé mad at you for raiding too much.
After visiting my fiance's family over a weekend and missing a few raids, I was booted from the raiding guild.
The important thing is to keep MMO's, gaming, internet, (pretty much anything) in moderation. Your closest friends and family are more important than that epic loot drop you missed out on. Also, when you take a break from your current MMO, upon returning, you will enjoy it more having been away from it for some time.
