Hahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahaha
...
Ok.
Ask yourself why you play games at all. Is it the safe environment through which to experience worlds through which you could not (or would not want to) in RL? Maybe you like saving the world or being a gangster, but you don't have to become a cop. Is it the ability to interact with such worlds, a notion unheard of in other mediums? What do CRPGs bring to the table? Worlds in which one can interact with, in which one can drive one's own narrative, get away from the real world. Some people like to live their own fantasies in games, and CRPGs can certainly accomplish that. You can be that big hunky pirate that all the chicks dig. It's the very concept of roleplaying. Sad? Is it? I don't completely disagree, though I don't appreciate CRPGs in the same manner as many others might. Take Oblivion. Unlike PnP, it allows you 'complete' 'freedom' to do whatever you want whenever you want at your own leisure. Go jump in a lake, go pick some flowers. Some people like that, it's soothing. I'm not an Oblivion fan, and I don't like sandbox games that much, but I can certainly understand, appreciate and respect that.
Why do *I* play CRPGs? I play it for the concept of interactive storytelling. Why wouldn't I rather read a book? Because I'm not a passive bystander. Interactivity allows for much greater involvement when done right. Few games have managed to really do it *right*, but that has more to do with the relative immaturity of the industry than it has with the medium itself. Despite PST's many flaws, I was able to identify with TNO in much greater ways than I probably would have had it just been a novel. Why wouldn't I rather go play PnP? Because Eldar hates us. That, and it doesn't allow for the same form of structure storytelling. Imagine a DM trying to convey the message from PST to his/her players. Could work, but very limited audience.
That being said, I don't find the current conventional gameplay too compelling. That is more a design issue than a CRPG issue. Too much dumbing down, too much catering to the common denominator. A proper CRPG combat system can provide unsurpassed tactical depth. Don't even try to pull that RTS BS if you're going to talk about shallow gameplay.
The question, then, is why do *you* play CRPGs? Managing stats? Or interacting with the world? Managing stats is a means to an end. When you turn it into an end in and of itself, that's when you start asking yourself existential questions? *Why* exactly did I spend 2000 hrs just to bring my char to lvl 60? :(
As for the RL analogy, do you solve murders in RL? Do you go out to sea on great adventures? Your 'why aren't I being productive?????' applies to all non-productive activities. It has nothing to do with CRPGs. If you find your life lacking, it's not because of CRPGs. Go out there and do something.
Don't think the loser who spends 80 hrs a week on WoW isn't sad. But that's the person's problem, not the game itself (why am I defending WoW????). Moderation is key.
Balance, in all things.
