One can look at the hundreds of thousands of videos about WOW addiction and see a trend. All walks of life are represented in these videos, from the super rich partiers to the social rejects posting they lost a day of game time and spazzing for millions to see.

Failure on the gaming industries part to regulate or moderate interaction of these MMO's is partly to blame, the other part is self control mixed in with a bit of proper parenting.

Kids, teens, and adults that have no self control and little ability to use common sense are going to have problems when comes time to "wanting" something verse "needing" it. Addicts feel they "need" something or their life is incomplete or they will die or some other nonsense. Social deviants, those that "want or need" to be in an MMO to function is a totally seperate issue, however both exist in todays society.

An addict needs all the time. A social deviant (according to the current society) can need or want and for whatever reason chooses to be like he/she/it wants. The bottom line is choice. Either you are weak minded and cant delete something you have spent years putting time into, or you have enjoyed the entertainment of those years and deleting you avatar doesnt mean a whole lot as you can move on to other things.

These studies using terms like "may be" are simply giving themselves a reason to write a piece. Without years of clinical study or the years of research done by single minded PHD's there is nothing to back up and piece written, instead it's just opinion and what one person thinks, which again, unless it changes my life in some substantial way is meaningless and simply a moments entertainment.