In writing about The Life of the Chinese Gold Farmer, Julian Dibbell notes one of the oddities of both modern massively multiplayer online (MMO) games and their predecessors:
In a typical M.M.O., as in a classic predigital role-playing game like Dungeons & Dragons, each player leads his fantasy character on a life of combat and adventure that may last for months or even years of play. As has also been true since D. & D., however, the romance of this imaginary life stands in sharp contrast to the plodding, mathematical precision with which it proceeds.