Rampant fanboyism blinds many as to what good worthwhile products really are. That's why certain companies can charge huge premiums for products (ie: Apple for example) if they know they have the hook on consumers. It's pathetic really, because fans of said products are deluded into believing that nothing else can come close to the experience, which is a load of BS, but they believe it in their heart.
People treat these brands like it's their religion (click). And they would happily be nickle and dimed into paying far more for a product than they need to. Ignorance is bliss.
Companies feed into this obsession and exploit it for it's full potential (click). Here's also an interesting documentary you might like to watch on it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0dUuHo58UE
So, in the end, I'm not the one who's "making up reality" as you put it. It's the deluded fans who have their heads shoved so far up the companies asses, that they can't tell what's what anymore. And they're deluded into thinking that paying $15 per month for their small slice of "enjoyment" is worth it, when in fact the company is overcharging and you can get a similar (almost identical) experience elsewhere for far far cheaper. I'm not just talking about WoW, I'm talking about all products now, across the spectrum.
As I said earlier in this thread, in the analogy I made about Skyrim; If Bethesda decided they wanted to charge people an additional $15 per month just to play the game, there would be an uproar. No one would be going around saying "Hey, $15 is a cheap price to pay for the entertainment I get", people would be complaining. And rightly so, considering the many alternatives that don't require those fees.