Perhaps the future of online "gaming" will be virtual eating, whereby real life people who are sitting at their computer, eating nachos, will control little men and women that sit inside a virtual world, eating imaginary pâté de foie gras, and drinking imaginary Bollinger, imaginarily. For what end I do not know.

I'm afraid it's already been done. You linked (okay, it wasn't a link, but let's not be pedantic) to a real site.

www.watchingpaintdry.com

The .net and .org variants appear to be broken 'web search'/spam pages, although interestingly www.watchingpaintdry.info - a damn fine URL, if you ask me - is up for grabs. Hmm. I might just go and register it...

This is great if we keep them in a virtual world long enough when the machines take over they will be the first to become enslaved. If not maybe they will virtually overdose. Either way keeps a health gene pool for the species.

Do they get spiders crawling out from under their spreadsheets and wobbles in the colour depth/palate the following day when they attempt to use their machines for work?<p>

A good X-Roach style skittering the morning after hallucinogens and they'd soon wise up.

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<b>PS:</b> Any chance of a gram of virtual speed for my pathetic broadband connection

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It can't be too long until we have virtual real-ale night down the pub, simulated afternoons catatonically watching Trisha while picking one's nose, or online chairs by the fire with pipe and slippers.

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That sounds like the Sims online to me... not that I ever played it but the original version left me with the distinct feeling that I'd just spent a couple of hours after work getting my Sims up in time to go to work, get home, cook tea etc... At which point I realised just how surreal and pointless playing the Sims actually was.

... I'm sitting playing a game on my computer of a Sim playing a game on their computer, I wonder what they're playing?...

No activity too mundane for doleful online saddos - does that include writing comments about these stupid "The Register" articles only to see them rejected by some faceless squirt?

This is not new, I've been selling virtual bongs, hookahs and cocaine tables for nearly 2 years in second life.

420 Supplies, the original purveyor of smoking devices in Second Life...

Damnit, El Reg, you're waaay too late to be reporting on this.

And tell Simon to start making fun of SL in BOFH.