I am currently playing Shroud of the Avatar. I have invested thousands of dollars and played thousands of hours, and I regret neither. SotA has a well managed economy, and the terms of use allow trading real money for virtual goods on secondary markets. I have already seen a full return on my investment after playing it for less than a year. I made $1720 just last weekend.
https://steemit.com/gaming/@chalidore/i-just-sold-a-house-on-shroud-of-the-avatar-for-usd1560
Some people like to run in-game businesses or play the role of a wealthy merchant. This style of play is not for everyone. Fortunately, there are lots of games out there that fit a wide variety of preferences and play-styles. Personally, I have no idea why people are still paying to play video games when they could be investing into a game that pays them to play.