I can somewhat relate to the Avatar depression group. I had a twinge of sadness after the movie because I knew that our world will never be like Pandora and the relationship that the Na'vi have with the biosphere of Pandora will never be real either. The way the movie is constructed, the music, the cinematography, everything about it makes you love the Na'vi and Pandora and develop a real emotion on whether or not it's demoed for rock.
Not many movies have this big of a reaction out of me, especially a reaction of longing for it to be real. I think ring is right; a dream that you wanted to be real so bad can have the exact same effect.
I also agree with you Baraka. The moment a dev team creates a world as engrossing and awe-inspiring as Pandora in a videogame, we're all doomed.
WoW isn't nearly as engrossing as Avatar but I can see a game being made that could do it.
The visual and aural effect is what did it in Avatar. The music, the amazing presentation, the flawless blend of CGI are what made this idea so heartfelt. The Na'vi and its world have been done in the past, but imagery portrayed as beautifully as in Avatar hasn't. The absolute reason Avatar worked so well is because the animation and CGI in the movie is absolutely indistinguishable from real life imagery. When a game does this, or comes close to this, I think the same feeling will erupt in people. Except they will be able to quench their thirst. WoW addiction is bad but it will be nothing compared to an MMO that has the same effect on people as Avatar.