So you're saying you eventually walk away from an MMO, so a book or film lasts forever? No, and in a book your not getting the excitement of competing with other people. So what if books are really good? They'll be fun, but you'll read it maybe only once. Giving WoW for example. You level up to 80. Great fun had alot of fun, gradually you'll think the game is over but it isn't. You can raid and get gear upgrades and kill bosses and compete with your friends on loads of stuff. On paying that 15$ a month seems outrageous to some. But for example, once you read a book, you never read it again, then you buy another one, so your paying for a new book every month, your paying for WoW/other game, every month too. So it balances out.