It's pretty simple, really. Addiction is rooted with some kind of real world problem, usually stress or depression. Those are often caused by a lack of feeling of useful, satisfaction, or achievement.
MMO's are a good outlet for relief because they offer artificial social integration, with plenty of avenues for feeling a sense of achievement, which is what all people inherently need.
I was young (high school) when I was addicted to MMO's/EQ so it had minimal impact on my life. A sense of achievement was what kept me playing -- and what a shocker -- as soon as I started achieving things in real life, I stopped caring about EQ entirely.
Now I appreciate it for being cheap entertainment.
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