User blog comment:DYBAD/Character Sheet/@comment-24028025-20160112174711/@comment-4867780-20160117081926

You summed it up quite well ^ ^ There are many dependencies in life, and most are psychological in nature. The Metaradise would be the greatest if its access wasn't regulated in a non-addict way.

I'm not really fond of it either, that's why Selforge City follows a materialist approach and why the Metaradise was implemented as artficial dreams during resting periods, with no impact on their daily life.

On the other hand, the nature of the Matrix really depends on your relation to it. While citizens "connection" to the Matrix makes their experience akin to a dream, their "transportation" into the Matrix changes the perspective radically. In this situation, their world is just as real as they are, and the Matrix suddenly switches from "mental simulation" to "alternate reality".