if I get a hat, by god, i want you to know about it, and I don't want every tom, dick and smurfette running around with one that they have on our server. and since they don't affect game play...i think that players are "even" without them.
Throughout history, men have worn hats as a way of showing how much better they are than other men. “I buy hats,” a behatted man seems to say. “I am better than you.”
Hats are a great way of saying "I'm randomly and inconsistantly better than you."