Do you think one day there will be a MMORPG where helping others....

[Dale]

Well, my point on "elitism" wasn't meant to single out XI; it's just a personal observation of the genre as a whole through my near 14 years of playing within it. Throughout my experience with games like Everquest back in the day, I don't think I ever came across someone crunching numbers or making note of optimal dps (or if they were, they at least didn't rub it in your face if you didn't perform to their standards.) Hell, even during my year or so of playing WoW during the pre-BC days, I was never ridiculed for my choices on gear or my talent spec (and I was definitely never kicked from a group for making a mistake or not knowing the perfect rotation.) I attribute that to the fact that the genre was still relatively new to most people so everyone was in that "I'm a total noob" phase, thus there wasn't as much of an experience gap. Things were still new and exciting and playing the game was still about fun. Now when I look at the end game atmosphere of just about any given mmorpg that I've been high enough to participate in (even newer ones) -- now that everything has been done to death, most of the secrets have been revealed, strategies for just about everything have been posted on a respective wiki page, etc -- I see a bunch of jaded veterans that only seem to find contentment with, as I mentioned above, incremental stat increases, increasing efficiency to a point of obsessive compulsion, and (for some apparently) berating others for not "doing it right."

Obviously I can't really speak for XI directly as I'm nowhere near endgame but I've seen it enough through other games. It's gotten to the point that I really don't do PUGs anymore or god forbid, pick up raids and the like. The environment just seems too stressful/hostile now for my taste and so much is expected even of new players -- at least from my own observations (YMMV.) I just wish people that followed that thought process could look back and remember that everyone starts new at some point and that these games should be about enjoyment and socialization -- not solely about raising your character's proficiency by another .001%.

You're totally right though; these games are always a million times better when played with friends and others that share a similar ideology in regards to fun. It's just a shame that the climate has changed to a point where people are actually hesitant to join PUGs anymore out of worry of being shat all over if they don't perform to some perfectionist standard -- and that's assuming they're even playing a "not worthless" class to begin with. I haven't looked into joining a linkshell yet, but you can rest assured I'll be going for one of the most "casual" I can find. I play these games for fun, not for competition (although, in fairness, I can understand that's a preferred play style for many.)

(*Ahem* Sorry for the rant.)
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It didn't read like a rant to me

The elitism factor is something I've never been able to understand. Why it matters so much to certain players rather they kill a monster in 5 minutes or 6 minutes is a mystery to me. It seems to them everything must be done as quickly and efficiently as possible else you are worthless and need to go level something else. It's such an exhausting and demanding mentality I honestly don't know how these people go through life without suffering a heart attack.

Me personally, I am a laid back kind of guy. If it gets the job done, then it's just fine with me. My goal in all MMORPGs is to create a character who is the most fun for me to play. I really could care less about his DPS or HPS or any other per second calculation. So long as I am successful and having fun while doing it I consider it mission accomplished.

[Seillan]

It didn't read like a rant to me

The elitism factor is something I've never been able to understand. Why it matters so much to certain players rather they kill a monster in 5 minutes or 6 minutes is a mystery to me. It seems to them everything must be done as quickly and efficiently as possible else you are worthless and need to go level something else. It's such an exhausting and demanding mentality I honestly don't know how these people go through life without suffering a heart attack.

Me personally, I am a laid back kind of guy. If it gets the job done, then it's just fine with me. My goal in all MMORPGs is to create a character who is the most fun for me to play. I really could care less about his DPS or HPS or any other per second calculation. So long as I am successful and having fun while doing it I consider it mission accomplished.

Well said, couldn't agree more .