The appeal of being a person in a virtual world is in creating your own stories. If your experiences are identical to everybody else's, if you can't have a real

The appeal of being a person in a virtual world is in creating your own stories. If your experiences are identical to everybody else's, if you can't have a real effect on the world, then you're a passive observer rather than a real participant. Passive interactivity (it's an oxymoron but I think you get my meaning) can be fun, of course. The problem is one of expectations; if you come into a static game expecting a virtual world, you'll be disappointed. It doesn't help that MMORPGs "look" like worlds, or that (to some extent) they're marketed as them.