Certainly, some people would see me as a bit (or perhaps greatly) pathetic for holding this belief. Yet I feel sad for them as well. They never received the thrill of climbing the thousand stairs in Skyrim, nor walked through the mushroom treed forest of Morrowind. They never felt the urgency of mining rich mineral fields before rising tides of lava on the planet Redstone. Nor have they had the satisfaction of crafting the tools need to survive in lush post-apocalyptic worlds full of robotic dinosaurs or fungus-created zombies. They certainly have not had shivers crawl up their spine as they entered the meadow of the Lost Woods that held the Master Sword.
Of course, there are those who will claim that these experiences are not real and cannot compete with reality. At least at this time, one cannot touch, smell, or taste their experiences in video games. I concede that point, but I also know that in some ways reality cannot compete with the experiences that these virtual worlds provide. Meanwhile, I would also argue that most travel experiences are just as fictional. People travel to far off regions of the world for "authentic" experiences that are nearly as scripted as the games I play. We prefer the trips that do not expose us to the poverty and troubles which actual plague the places we visit. It might be an illusion that one can touch, but it is still an illusion.
Don't get me wrong: I still want to travel the world. It's just that I am also quite content with the virtual worlds that I enjoy. There is high adventure to be had and glorious sights to be seen for those daring and cunning enough to find them ... and I don't have to worry about getting sick from the water.