The true test of addiction is how far will someone go for his or her habit. In the case of MMORPGs, players will go to extreme lengths to power-up their characters. Even though the games retail for under $50, items and characters used in the game can go for as much as $2000. Thats 2000 real, US dollars.

While Ultima Online items are still available on eBay, eBay and Sony have joined forces in an attempt to shut down sales of EQ goods on eBay. That hasnt stopped people from profiting off of EQ, and there are still plenty of third party websites that will facilitate an exchange of real money for virtual property.

There is little doubt that this form of gaming is the wave of the future. All of the giants in the gaming industry, are lining up to get a slice of this very lucrative pie. The forthcoming online version of the Sims, the most popular game ever, and Star Wars Galaxies, promise to entice even more people to spend hours living in, and possibly loosing themselves in a virtual life.