Why do all of you spend so much time and money on this game? I see people asking for like 80k shells for an umbrella! I don't understand what loser would have the time, patience or money to attain this amount of shells.

I'd really like an answer to this. I've really wanted to discuss this topic for sometime.  

It's addictive.  

iEra is actually pretty fun once you pass the noob phase. It is my favorite released iOS server as of yet and remains that way because the community is more intense than the other servers.

The people that spend a lot of time trying to gather rares are just playing the game their way. I used to feel the need to buy every gun, car and skateboard that was released for the longest time. It's just a way to play, just like roleplaying on classic is a way to play.