Reader Response 10

This quote is from Dibbell as he has to go to San Francisco for awhile.
"...operations here at Play Money are somewhat in disarray at the moment and may remain so for the next few days or even weeks. I have no way of logging in to UO, and no way of delivering the items...I have no idea when or how I will be able to sort all this out....I miss my data. I miss my home. I don't even know where my home is right now."

This virtual selling of goods has obviously had a huge impact on Dibbell. With out it he seems to be lost and confused. He also seems to be worrying about it a lot. This "job" seems to consume your life, much like any job in reality can do. It obviously can become a stress as well as shown in the quote.
Dibbell goes on to say....
"What the hell is wrong with me? My gloom was understandable, I guess, but really: A hard-drive crash is a set-back, not an existential crisis."
He is trying to figure out why he is so thrown off by a system crash. He is realizing how much this virtual world is meaning to him. He gets all bent out of shape because of his hard drive crashing, and to him it is a real crisis.

We can judge this life style and business phenomenon all we want, but it seems that until you yourself become involved you don't fully understand what keeps these people coming back (besides the money). Nor do we understand the pressures and standards put on these people to make money just like we try to do in reality.