Asherons Call: More Columns from ACVault

If we listen to the age old mantra “it’s just a game,” are we being lied to?
Is it really just a game, or is it something more?
These questions have been asked time and time again.
Any flame war that resorts to personal attacks will usually have the comment “it’s just a game” on there somewhere. When you die and lose that major cantrip item you spent weeks hunting to pay for/find, you may hear “it’s just a game.” When friends you have in game double cross and backstab you, you may be told “it’s just a game.” Or is it?
Sure, killing monsters and looting singularity troves are exclusively in game activities. You can’t do that in real life. Yet, what about the relationships you form with people?
What about the REAL LIFE time you spend pouring into your character?
Do they draw this game across the line from fantasy to a pseudo reality?