Second Life [no funnies].
A few years ago now I purchased a laptop powerful enough to run the "virtual reality world" that is Second Life.
Thanks to a friend who was already using it I quickly made new friends and even had a virtual stripper girlfriend. Now, I know that already sounds pathetic but, to be honest, it was good fun -- I had no illusions that this was anything but a MMUD with no game element.
All went well, and I began to spend real money on this thing (an outfit for one's avatar can run to $5 or more). Still, I was having fun and it passed the time, so it was worth it.
Next I needed some land, so I could have a house with my new (not the same as earlier) virtual girlfriend -- so I spent around $50 a month on that, and much more on houses and boats and the like.
Then I wanted [virtual] power -- so I rented an entire 1/4 primitive simulator [a virtual island which runs on 1 core of a 4 core CPU]. This was fun for a while, and I was picking up a virtual family in the process, so spending a few hundrd dollars a month on virtual clothes and toys for me, my virtual wife and virtual kids. Then I got a [real life] credit card bill I needed to pay, so I had to give up this island. As this was happening I also divorced my virtual wife, due to the fact she was supposed to love me in real life, but was married and "couldn't" leave her husband.
So, you would think that would be the end of it?
No... I paid my bill, and continued to play, and actually met more people and had more fun -- the virtual missus was jealous, you see.
So, I then decided I wanted ultimate control, and started paying for a full sim [island that runs on one processor on a server].
The sim was great fun, and I got to make a volcano lair and all sorts of cool stuff -- I even gained a new virtual girlfriend who wanted nothing from me (she was single in real life and paid her own way, same as me) and all was good.
I suspect most readers are thinking I'm some pathetic loser and this is dull, tragic and boring. The thing is, I am sorry I spent quite so much on "clothes" and the virtual wife and kids -- but it really was fun creating my own virtual perfect home and I don't actually regret much. I have given up my virtual existence though, because I found a great friend on the game and I fell in love with her -- so now I spend my money on air travel and not mind travel.
(Me, I'm not... in any way intoxicated, Wed 6 Oct 2010, 18:14, 5 replies)

I reckon
She needs to fly to you as well.

EDIT: IRL
(lemonadegame, Wed 6 Oct 2010, 21:47, closed)

273, is that you? ;)
( Noo_Noo Is now 'BeerElf Jnr', I guess :), Wed 6 Oct 2010, 23:01, closed)

Not
going to take the piss, as I have played WoW but spending money on virtual stuff seems a little counter-productive. I guess you can sell the stuff back though and sometimes at a profit. The thing that worries me about this type of game, is the fact that technology for these things games will get better and better, to the point that they will eventually create something similar to BTL (Better than life) a la Red Dwarf, in other words an environment that feels and looks real, where people never really leave the game and need to be fed intravenously, computer technology is the only thing in this world where we seem to make rapid progress, so mark my word this will happen in a hundred years or sooner. Rant over ;D
(bROKEN aRROW PUA HVI Master, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 9:44, closed)

Already happenning...
There have been two cases in the news recently of people who have let their real children starve (in one case to death) because they were totally absorbed in their virtual life...
(moon monkey is busy making memories worth repressing, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 10:39, closed)

By any chance
Were they b3tans?
(Sum Gai My dog is a racist lesbian, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 11:44, closed)