This was a great article and I enjoyed reading it very much...The one section where she stated:
Why do you think people are so passionate about VMK and especially about it ending?
There are two reasons - both equally important. One is the massive investment the active users have made in terms of their time, creativity and emotional involvement - as well as gaining points and personal artifacts based on achievements in the in-world games. Second is the personal connections users have made within the environment - think of suddenly being pulled out of your school in which you are on the sports team, in the drama program, are class president and where some of your most important relationships and memories take place. Its like pulling a social foundation from these kids. Plus, many families are also using the environment to interact much like families used to play game boards in the evenings.
I probably would have added one more for me, although I definitely enjoyed the comradre with other fireworks players (achievments) within her first part, and I also agree I have made many friends within Virtual Magic Kingdom which I will continue to keep in contact with. I would have added one more thing at least for me and that is being able to visit the parks as often as I would like without truly being there. The Virtual Magic Kingdom layout, music, sound effects and so on being similar to the parks was similar to a home away from home for some of us Disney lovers who cannot visit parks everyday for many different reasons. Not sure how I would categorize that but it truly has been my Walt Disney World fix here and there...
