I think the importance of this game for a player is related to how preoccupied he is with life at any given time. When Im busy with real life work/play whatever, this game is almost non existant. When Im slow with work or other things, I spend more time in here and get into it more.
Guys who are retired and dont have much else going on, or kids who have too much time on their hands probably take this game more seriously than the average guy.