TXMom,
I don't think our sociologists have even started to scratch the surface when it comes to understanding the impact the internet is having on our culture.
They came close to classifying video games as an addiction. If people can become addicted to gambling ( purely an emotional/mental reliance ) then there is no reason why video games cannot trigger the same sort of influence.
As games become more and more immersive, flooding the senses with stimuli that rival reality, I suspect we're going to be hearing of more and more cases such as this.
I wouldn't be surprised if several in the Aces High community, itself, have made questionable decisions on their priorities in life.. just for the thrill of playing.
I would certainly hope that nothing coming close to this level of neglect has occurred.