[Clarste]

Originally Posted by Iron Maw

But with the Earth as one matures you come to the understanding that without it, you couldn't even exist to begin with. This not case with SAO since no one is native or born here. The people in the game all have prior knowledge of this and it's because of that most can't truly be happy here even if a living can be made.

Religion exists precisely because most people cannot come to an understanding with their existence. People come up with untestable spiritual "reasons" for their existence and put all their faith in them precisely because they cannot accept that they simply exist against their will. Regardless of whether or not one or more of these religions happens to be true, the human psychological need to discover "purpose" is well documented.

There really isn't a choice here though, merely conditions set by Kayaba. The people who are staying in SAO aren't doing it out love for it (at least nobody like that has appeared yet), but rather they see no other way due to the fear of death. If Kayaba suddenly showed up now and allowed the players who decided to stay a way back, do you think they would still stick by that choice? Are they truly attached to SAO that would prefer that to their previous lives instead simply making the best out of a bad situation?

Kayaba is playing God. Surely he has no right to play God, but that's what he's doing. He created a world, forced people to live in it, and they have no choice but to accept the rules he's placed on them. IE: He's God, in this little microcosm of the world. People are always forced to accept the world as it is. There have never been any exceptions, ever.

I don't think it's quite the same thing here. In SAO choosing to stay means giving up the life you rightfully had, regardless of it's situation. Compared to something like not getting your "first love" or "dream job" those things were never promised or yours to start. People in SAO had a life before the game and it was simply taken away and forcibly replaced a cage. A sweet smelling cage designed to mimic their former lives at a basic level, by still a cage with death being the bars.

Sometimes your wife divorces you and you lose your family. Sometimes your friends move away and you can't contact them. Sometimes you already have your dream job but get fired because the economy changes. And then you lose your house because you can't pay the bills. Your life gets taken away against your will all the time. I won't say you shouldn't fight for it to the best of your abilities, but regardless of whether you succeed or not the fact that you had to fight to keep what you already had is also a part of life. I really don't understand where this line of reasoning is coming from.

Indeed, however is this really a surprise? The rules are the only real protection the inhabitants have in the game. Without them climbing Aincrad would be almost impossible.

No, it is absolutely not a surprise, and I never meant to imply it was.