I'll give you that MMOs in particular don't bring much to the table (except that they're a form of socialization), and that they're engineered to be digital cra

I'll give you that MMOs in particular don't bring much to the table (except that they're a form of socialization), and that they're engineered to be digital crack. I don't see much value in them either, and I'm really relieved that I got tired of WoW and quit after playing it for 2 weeks straight, instead of becoming more addicted and flunking out like some of my friends in college did. I wouldn't lump the rest of hardcore games in with those, though - there's a lot of really wonderful stuff out there that's just made to be fun rather than addictive. There's nothing quite like a good strategy game, for me. There does seem to be a worrying shift towards games with ongoing revenue streams like WoW, which inevitably shifts the company's focus to gameplay mechanics that are addictive as much as they are fun.