Yes, this. I was really into model railroading when I was a child, and had a faily elaborate layout in the attic. What appealed to me the most, I think, was being able to sit at the controls, flipping switches on a big control panel, and manipulate the locomotives and switches way over in the next "town" (on the other side of the room).

Years later, when I first started using the internet, I found myself sitting in Atlanta, editing a text file on a server in California. And I immediately recognized that same sensation, of "control from a distance." And, well... here I am.