Computer role-playing games

Over the past couple of weeks I have been indulging in the world of online games. By online computer role-playing games; I mean games, which are played over the Internet, including; MMORPG's (massively multiplayer online role-playing game), and MUD's (Multi-User Dungeon or Domain or Dimension).

Personally I am not big on games, and I don't play them very often. If I do indulge I prefer text based Adventures, and puzzle solving games.
Well a couple of weeks ago, I was doing some research on telnet, and I stumbled across a MUD. I had never seen one before so I went and had a look around. It all started out innocently enough, yet it wasen't long before I was doing nothing else.
Within a couple of days I was starting to eat into my study time with game play. Then after a couple more days I started to spend even longer in front of the computer, doing less and less work. I was annoyed if I couldn't play, and dreaming about game play, and quests.

On Friday I was sitting in front of the game again, (after giving my partner another excuse about having to get another 45100 guild points so that I could do some new trick,) when I realised that I wasn't ever going to be happy with the outcome. I was working on getting these certain guild points. As soon as I got them I was annoyed, because I still needed another 200 exp points to raise my stats in the game. So even though I had reached a new milestone in the game, the psychological pull to move onto the next challenge was there, pulling me onwards into the game.
It was then that I realised that I was addicted and how true all of these stories are about, being trapped inside these games, these virtual worlds, really are, e.g. The View From the Top.

So I am going to slow down my playing right now. I haven't played since Friday. I would like to learn the language used to write MUD's, so in this way I may play more, yet I don't want to waste my life in front of a game. I don't want to get trapped.