As an addition to your discussion:

There *are* times when "it's only a game" can be to the benefit of someone: when a person realizes that Warcraft is "just a game," and begins to be less apprehensive about hoarding gold, or primals, or other reagents. When someone realizes that the game is a bunch of 1s and 0s, they often times will loose the sense of attachment that comes with the items or reagents they have saved in their bank for a rainy day, and can become more willing to help guildies or strangers who may be in need of help.

As an illustration: Guildie A, a hunter, needs a couple primal airs- he's getting that nifty agi enchant on his cloak. You happen to have three such primals saved in your bank, saved for when you get that new badge cloak in a another week or so. Under normal circumstances, I think most people would just say "sorry man" to Guildie A, but if you have finally realized that none of those pixels are yours, and will never be yours, you may feel less attachment to those pixels (i.e. the primals). In such a case, realizing that it's "just a game" may be beneficial to those around you, in a Pay It Forward-esque kind of way.

I just wanted to point out that "it's just a game" can be a valid, positive viewpoint. However, I DO understand that the point of the article was to showcase when people hide behind such an excuse to be asshats, and I fully agree on all your main points.

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