I did know some people that kept talking about it and I would rarely see them after they got hooked.
A friend of mine was the same, never saw him until I started playing. I still never saw him as he was many levels above me.
The same thing in a way happened to me with Dark Age of Camelot where I ditched classes, bailed on my friends and destroyed at least one relationship with a GF over it.
Ouch.., my marriage survived though I don't know how. I have the old DAOC box in the cupboard somewhere, I tried it, as well as just about all the others but it didn't grip me.
and feeling a bit of regret for investing so much time into it. :)
That's it, and why I don't play them now. They are great for wasting time but that's it. I still have the urge to have another go at WoW.