Boys will be boys

I had an intellectual property exam today, another one done, one less to go. It was a good exam, from a field I like, therefore not a big deal. Still, I didn’t sleep much tonight, so I’ll spend the night at home today and probably go to bed early. Now before I go to sleep, I might play some EVE Online. It’s a game I play to relax sometimes in the evenings. I admit it, I’m 22 and I still play computer games. Boys will be boys. Men always play games, but the toys get more expensive with age. I’ve heard it all before, so spare me, please.
In my own defense, I am one of the youngest actually playing this game in the “corporation” or the group of people I play with. Most people that plays are either people who work normally or are in some cases retired. Most of them are, admittedly, male. But what is EVE, then, to have such allure to old men? Well, one is, you get to fly a spaceship. Everyone wanted to do that since kindergarten. But it’s also a MMORPG, which stands for Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Essentially, it’s a game, where many people at the same time get to play their role in a virtual world. There are quite a few of such games available on the market, but they all, in different manner, allow people to enter a world that is essentially different from reality.
What is it that drives us to enter a world where our virtual life is so much different than that in our society? One, for sure, is the fact that there, we’re all essentially equal and free, within the world’s design parameters. A bum in real life can be a king in a virtual world. Furthermore, it’s also a way of getting away from one’s problems, to forget, for a second, that there are real worries out there, more exams, a crazy boss, maybe a wife or a husband you’d prefer not to be with at that moment. It doesn’t solve problems that’s for sure. It can be addictive, that’s also true. It does bring you pleasure and a feeling of achievement, even if it’s virtual. Yes, it’s essentially a drug. Level of market penetration in some Asian markets is close to 20%. It does have negative side effects. But when you feel really unproductive and tired, like I do right now, after an exam I did well, it sure feels good to relax.