What is it with this "hyper-puritanical" oppression that is infecting the globe like a cancer? In the U.S.,  "neo-conservative" politicians are determined to control every aspect of an individual's behavior according to their own narrow standards. Middle Eastern countries that once knew secular and relatively egalitarian societies are now reverting to hyper-patriarchal medieval theocracies. China tightens the noose around its own people, monitoring Internet traffic and punishing severely those who go to the "wrong" sites. Surveillance devices are being placed on streets all over Europe.

And now, the communist government of Vietnam has condemned a relatively harmless pastime as "Social Evil." Yup, we're talking about (*gasp!*) Internet Gaming.

What in the name of the gods is going on here?!?!?

The latest "Enemy of the State," according to Hanoi, is Vo Lam Truyen Ky or "Swordsman Online." Internet gaming, a passion in many Asian countries for over ten years, is a newcomer to Vietnam, bursting upon the scene about a year ago. Since June of 2005, cyber cafes have sprung up like weeds, and people of all ages spend hours every day in virtual worlds. In true reactionary fashion, the government in Hanoi have started writing ordinances that restrict the amount of time people are allowed to play MMO games.

"What I love is becoming somebody else - sometimes a hero, sometimes a traitor. I can even try to kill my wife," said one 37-year old gamer, who insisted on anonymity for obvious reasons. Twenty-nine-year-old dentist, Tran Khanh Long, said Vo Lam is successful because "Vietnamese people love Chinese martial arts stories." Given the checkered and complicated relationship between China and Vietnam over the centuries, one might guess that this is just part of Hanoi's attitude on the issue.

It seems to this writer that if people feel the need to spend most of their time inside these "virtual" worlds, it is because they are getting something from it - power, pleasure, adventure, romance, or something else entirely - that their "real lives" fail to provide.

Sometimes - as William Shakespeare put it - the fault lies not in our stars (or our games) but in ourselves.