I wasn’t aware that my inability to kill a dragon by shooting lightning bolts out of my hands was due to legislation. I’m going to write to my congressman immediately, to have this law overturned.
Speaking seriously, I’m not entirely sure what you’re asking about. You mention two online computer games in the thread title, but your OP seems to be more about video games in general. What’s odd is that you seem to be under the impression that video games rely less on reflexes and hand-and-eye coordination, when the fact is that, since the heydays of Super Mario Brothers and Tetris, twitch-intensive games have almost entirely dominated the gaming market. When the first Nintendo system came out, two of the biggest genres in computer gaming were adventure games, which were entirely story and character driven interactive fictions, and turn-based strategy, which were the electronic equivalent of a table-top board game. Both genres are now very much niche-oriented, having been edged out by generations of first person shooters, Mario-style platform jumpers, sports simulations, racing games, and real-time strategy. Most of these games are, as you said, about “killing time, hand-eye coordination, and developing certain reflexes.” Very few of them have any recognizable connection to the real world, and those that do, reflect a segment of the real world that most people have neither the ability nor the inclination to visit in real life: storming the beaches of Normandy, for example, or illegal street racing through major metropolitan areas. Most, though, are out-and-out fantasies: fighting aliens, demons, zombies, or what-have-you. The appeal of these is the same as the appeal of any movie or book based on the same genre. If it’s fun to watch Luke Skywalker blow up the Death Star, then it’s not hard to figure out that it would also be fun to be Luke Skywalker, blowing up the Death Star.
There are a few games that are genuine real-world, mundane simulations. The Sims, for example, is an outrageously popular game that simulates buying a house, furnishing it, raising a family, and going to work. I have absolutely no idea what the appeal of this game is. I played it once, and found it to be the dullest thing I’ve ever seen passed off as entertainment. Second Life, which I’ve never played, is apparently similar to this, but at least includes a social aspect which I can understand.
World of Warcraft is a different kettle of fish entirely. It’s high fantasy, for starters, with orcs, elves, dragons, wizards, etc. The appeal, on a narrative level, is that same as that of Lord of the Rings or any other fantasy novel/movie setting. The fantasy role-playing game has been a video game staple practically since the invention of the medium. The appeal of the massively multiplayer online RPG is that it brings back the social aspect that was the original draw of the table-top Dungeons and Dragons, the game that was the direct inspiration for virtually all computer RPGs. On top of that, the game itself is simply huge. I’ve been playing it regularly since its inception, and I still haven’t seen all the original content. The gameplay itself is a combination of basic strategy with some degree of good timing and reflexes. Each character has dozens of different abilities, and figuring out the best combination of abilities to use against each particular foe, and triggering them fast enough to avoid being killed, is enjoyable in itself. It also keys off of the natural human tendency towards acquistiveness. There’s a staggering amount of stuff to get in the game, and there’s a definite sense of satisfaction when you get a shiny new magic broadsword, or learn a new way of blasting your enemies into tiny little bits.
Also some refining skill.
or… the vehicle my toon rides has about fifty little moving mechanical parts, a symphony of mechanical noises, and a little hula-girl on the dashboard. Someone spent a long time planning and executing that, and it’s a nice detail. Some of the landscapes are truly stunning graphic art.