Why people play WoW

So World Of Warcraft has millions of players, as well as addicts and support groups. Why do people get so enthralled with this game? It's beyond just being a fad; it has playing a large role in many peoples' lives.

Up until recently, I thought it was the whole "escape from reality" thing where people can go to pretend there something they're not. I still maintain that's the main reason, but it's not like (most) people can't tell the difference between the game and real life. I think it's more that people are so dissatisfied with their lives, that they don't care that it's a dreamworld, it's better to have a dream which fake than to spend every minute in the misery of their daily life. I'm speaking about the really hardcore people who log several hours per day, the majority of every week, not the casual gamer who plays once a week for an hour. I don't see the game as the cause of anything bad, but rather a symptom. Also, this would be any RPG, it isn't exclusive to WoW. WoW is just the largest scale example (at least, for now). Nothing new here, I just thought I'd comment on it since my perspective has shifted and this phenomenon has beem brought to the forefront of my attention.

As for what's making people feel so miserable that they feel the need to escape to a fantasyland... that's another topic, for another time...