"Bask in your thought crime"
Saw that on a bumper sticker; thought it was profound.
I wish English allowed for the dropping of pronouns as Spanish does.
I struggle to view anything in a single-player setting as true role-playing. Playing a role, to me, requires presenting it to others.
People take virtual identities that match the way they think more than the way they look. I'll use WoW as an example again: among my friends, the rogue is someone who dislikes confrontation and prefers victory by subtle and indirect methods in real life. The warrior is an athlete and bodybuilder whose identity revolves around strength. The hunter is a great motivator and "user" of others (thus the pet, to be clear.) It seems clear that the roles that people choose to play online may be dictated by their real personalities.
A couple of friends from ISU are into paintball, and recently participated in a large-scale "scenario paintball" involving hundreds of people and a huge area of operations. They divided into "armies" with chosen officers and worked as large groups to complete objectives, all within a strict set of rules to ensure safety. Pretty cool stuff, and a great example of very serious play with well-defined rules and boundaries.
I know people who take their vacation days and... play WoW. The whole time. And they're totally happy with it. I wouldn't... but I get it.