Explain this to me DArt (and I'm genuinely curious) - what's the point of playing an MMO and not participate in a group content? I thought that it was the whole damn reason?
I don't know what THE point is, but I do know that I'm greatly enjoying exploring the content in a world that feels alive - and in which I can interact with other people if and when I choose.
For me, when other people share the same world and the same game with you - your actions feel more real and the tale of your character becomes something that doesn't just exist in your own head.
Not being in this for the group content doesn't mean I exclude myself entirely from the social aspect of the game.
It simply means I'm not playing it for the group CONTENT (which requires a group to experience), I'm playing it to immerse myself in a living world - which just happens to be the very point I've always appreciated about MMOs, that I can't achieve to the same extent with a singleplayer game.
Oh, I might take on a dungeon or two with some strangers - or I might decide to make some friends. But it's not "the point" of why I'm playing it.
Obviously, you have to understand how the genre works - and you have to keep an open mind about it if you're to appreciate that. You can't really get very far by putting the genre into this little box called "inferior singleplayer game with other people" - unless you want to remain ignorant about it.
To me, MMOs were never about grinding gear or treading the mill - it was always about the fantasy of living in an alternate world with real people. To me, that's potentially more immersive than pretty much any other kind of game - and it can be more of a roleplaying experience, by far, than any singleplayer RPG could ever be.
Then again, I started roleplaying with PnP - with friends and family - and I've never found singleplayer RPGs getting anywhere near that kind of experience. That's why I have to wonder why so many old-school fans don't understand the appeal of MMOs. I'm guessing it's because they've simply never enjoyed socialising with other people or the thought of having other people share the same world is somehow a negative.
That's not how it works for me at all.