Online games. Hobby or addiction?

Internet is having an increasing impact on our lives. Even the dialogue has been taken to separate the live and virtual, that is something that occurs exclusively in the network. And many people, especially belonging to the older generation, it's scary.

 Of particular concern reactionaries cause so-called "online games", which allegedly deprived of human will and forced to immerse themselves in the virtual world to the detriment of real life.
So what is it online game - just a hobby or a dangerous addiction? Try to understand.
This article is intended not so much for experienced gamers, but for their parents and friends who are concerned that their child or friend spends too much time on the computer.
First, a little about themselves online games.
We will not dwell on the game of Tetris for free on network sites or popular computer games for PC, with a game function with peers on the Internet.
Under the online games involve, primarily, multiplayer online games. The most famous of these is the World of Warcraft, or as it is often called the Great Patriotic War. Now it is played around twenty million people worldwide!
The game is a fantastic virtual world inhabited by the same fairy-tale characters, each of which is a real person. During the game characters perform different tasks, battle with fabulous beasts, as well as other users and travel through fairyland. With that success, or otherwise driving my virtual life, the character becomes stronger and gains new skills, allowing him to perform more complex and interesting tasks. Not surprisingly, many "sit down" on the internet adventures, as the satisfaction of self inherent in the human subconscious. In addition, we all love stories, and online game allows you to not only watch this tale, but to become a full participant.
Use of the game is not free. First you need to buy an installation disk, and then pay extra for regular playing time, not to mention the paid online. However, World of Warcraft is so popular that the yield of the next part of the game sparked a wave of absenteeism in the workplace worldwide. Gamers hook or by crook tried to stay home with the game alone.
On the forums players tell how flew out of universities and went into the army, for the simple reason that just started playing. How to lose wives and girlfriends, to exchange them on the Internet - a fairy tale. In the states, even one teenager was killed in an Internet cafe from dehydration after spending too long for a game. In addition, online games can be hit and on the wallet. Indeed, in the virtual world is boiling trade in the very real money! The fact that the various armor, weapons and "magic" artifacts, makes you stronger than you can buy, as the official virtual store, and at other players who got hold of valuable things in the game. Many so carried away by adventure on the network that they are willing to spend thousands of dollars to develop their character. In South Korea, for example, which is considered a leader in the number of gamers per capita, already seriously considering to tax virtual trade because it spinning millions.
A funny incident occurred recently in the U.S.. The little girl spent a half thousand dollars playing the online game "farmer" on mom's phone. A child so engrossed in growing virtual vegetables that did not spare money for the parent virtual fertilizer.
However, it is rather isolated cases. Also contrary to stereotypes, for online games are sitting not only teenagers. About half the population of virtual worlds - is grown quite successful people, who thus simply relax. In the game world there are thousands of interesting people with whom you can communicate and shoulder to shoulder "at war" with fabulous monsters. In the fairy-tale world, even married couples are formed, which later become their families and in real life. In the online game can be realized in myself that can not realize the plain, gray reality. Of course, this sort of escape from reality, but agree that much less harmful than, say, alcohol.
So online games - this is not the worst evil for the psyche. The main thing that people in developing their alter egos in the internet - the fairy tale did not forget about the development itself, then the game will only bring pleasure.
Useful entertainment to you!