Play Money: or how I quit my day job wasted my life.

Here is the deal; I'm a little behind in the reading. I just started reading Play Money by Julian Dibbell and it has put me in a horribly cynical mood. Just for an overview-- the book is about virtual gaming communities and how this Dibbell guy made millions of dollars by selling "virtual loot", in other words, stuff that doesn't actually exist. He selling air, more or less.
Apparently this is a huge market for gamers who want to become high up in the wizarding circuit (so to speak) so they need to acquire all sorts of potions, spells, and skills in order to gain status and power. Sounds pretty much like real life right? Buy a car, buy a house, get a good job, and marry an attractive spouse. There you go. I would not be bothered by this sort of thing normally because I would probably overlook the big picture, but a few large questions were raised in my mind this morning that illustrate the real differences between the virtual and real world.

My #1 question is:

What are these people contributing to society? I know not all people in all professions are changing lives or finding a cure for cancer. But, I would say generally speaking most people make some sort of impact in the lives of others whether it is positive or negative. These gamers are sitting on the computer trying to better the lives of their avatar or "virtual selves"; they are spending their time and money to enhance this experience. WHY not just live a real life? There must be some kind of draw to it. I understand its fun, it is addicting, and you can even make a career out of it, But I just want to know: what are you doing to help fellow man? When you die will real people come to your funeral or will you have a plot in an online cemetery somewhere?

I am hoping that these feeling are just my initial reaction to the book. I hope that Dibbell will help me understand the significance of the fantasy world that an increasing number of people are being drawn to. SO far I’m very interested in what Dibbell has to say and I’m looking forward to finishing the book. Maybe by the end I’ll have a different outlook, but for now I will remain skeptical about “trading virtual loot”.