The Onion recently featured a humorous satire – World of World of Warcraft – which allows gamers to play an RPG videogame of a videogamer playing a video game.

The clip is good for a laugh – no doubt.  But it also touches on an interesting trend regarding gamers today.

A few years ago, in our own market research, we were repeatedly hearing requests for more realistic graphics, more realistic game-play options, and more realistic plots.

But isn’t one of the key benefits of videogames the ability to “escape” into a fantasy world – where one can forget about everyday stresses and pressures?  The answer is “yes” of course.

Our consumer research has shown that one of the key benefits of videogames – especially for people with full-time jobs and for busy stay-at-home moms – is the ability to get away from it all, even if only for a few minutes.

In recent surveys, we are seeing more and more demands for fun, fantasy-oriented games that look nothing like the real-world.