It's pretty incredible, and these articles are never not fun to read about. There's also from time to time the World of Warcraft articles that pop up on HN.
They do have magical qualities though. I look forward to my next MMO addition.
You can purchase (with real money) an item called PLEX, which can either be applied to your account to extend your subscription, or sold to another player for in-game currency. There are many players who pay for their subscription by farming in-game.
Having interesting people to talk to, and shared experiences, made it all worthwhile.
“People say, ya know, ‘Get a life,’ and ‘This is a waste of time,’” Sae continues. “They have to understand that I only did this for an hour and a half each day just to unwind after work. I wasn’t killing myself doing this.”
Someone else telling me something is a waste of my time is pretty meaningless to me. And I also try not to tell other people they are wasting their time. I think a better way to convey that idea is to ask (e.g., my 5 y.o. son) "are you getting something out of doing this activity?" And if the answer is "yes", then who am I to judge. And if the answer is "no", then I either leave it at that and let them figure it out, or as in the case with my son, try to guide him towards doing something more productive or rewarding.
To me now, it's a really weird thing for someone to say to someone else you are wasting your time. Your time is only wasted if you think it's wasted.
To be sure, this is different if you're being paid by someone else. If you are doing something and your boss says stop wasting time, then maybe you comply. After all, if someone is paying for your time, then it's really their time, isn't it?
Since I am only doing social media, that is in some way better. #NoItsNot