MMO Social Epidemic

[Teon]

Most of the social interactions in MMOs are done over voice chat.

This game doesn't need any voice interaction, not even Twintania. An emote ( with text of what is coming and sound to alert) coordinates a whole group perfectly.
Some may prefer a mic to type. Lazyness , bad habit from OTHER mmos maybe (where maybe voice coordination was needed). The word "most" you used is surely not true. Not here at least.
The game also makes impossible a voice chit chat using functions like DF, so most are just silent. "Hi" "Goodbye, was fun". That's it.

[Feyniphia]

Low level dungeons: I meet most of the time awesome social peeps. (Up to AV)

WP: Most of them are jerks and wants their precious tomestones ASAP
AK: Only met ONE awesome person and thats before 2.1
The 2 new HM dungeons: It's back to the awesome peeps, but only got 1 person that was abusive and way undergeared and he was insulting to everyone.)
CM & Prae: Dare to say a word in there...

That's my experience so far on it.

[ZephyrAM]

The entire social heavy environment formed in old online gaming because the games themselves required it to enhance the overall experience. Look back at what we used to play and consider if you would have ever spent any time in them if not for the massive amount of group interaction. The games 'relied' upon the players to create their own fun, and this is simply no longer the case.

Now we have multi-billion dollar MMO's that not only have the money to more thoroughly flesh out the game as a whole, but we have the technology as well to include so much more then they ever could before. Game design and development has evolved to the point where we can actually play just the game and be happy with it; the social aspect is just that, one side aspect of varying importance, but one that the games no longer rely upon to succeed.

It works the same way in real life, people used to rely on each other more and form tighter communities, but as technology advances, it's no longer necessary. The same applies here. Everything you do now is by choice, rather then forced upon you. Seek it out if you want it and you'll certainly find it in others like yourself, but don't expect things to ever be the way they were.

[Desidious]

This is my first MMORPG. I didn't know what to expect socially and I had been reading the forums while I was learning the game. We all know that the forums or full of negativity and whining so I was a bit nervous about running into all these bad player stereotypes.

You know what I did? Started a free company based on all the things I want from a social standpoint and a game: progression, helpfulness, fun, maturity, and no drama. Needless to say, because of all these requirements I've found the coolest group of players around. There's always laughs, fun runs, and all around good feelings.

Moral of this story: Fun and social aspects are what YOU make it.

[Seobit]

This game doesn't need any voice interaction, not even Twintania. An emote ( with text of what is coming and sound to alert) coordinates a whole group perfectly.
Some may prefer a mic to type. Lazyness , bad habit from OTHER mmos maybe (where maybe voice coordination was needed). The word "most" you used is surely not true. Not here at least.
The game also makes impossible a voice chit chat using functions like DF, so most are just silent. "Hi" "Goodbye, was fun". That's it.

I'm not saying the game needs to have it, I'm saying people are already very sociable, just that they're mostly doing it over voice chat. People don't feel like typing when they can just talk instead, it doesn't have anything to do with them being social recluses. A FC that can appear do be completely dead and not get any lines of in game chat ever can be extremely active over mumble for example.

[Doo]

I care more about the GIL BUYING epidemic. It is destroying my mmo experience having to blacklist constantly while my blacklist is full.

[Teon]

I'm not saying the game needs to have it, I'm saying people are already very sociable, just that they're mostly doing it over voice chat. People don't feel like typing when they can just talk instead, it doesn't have anything to do with them being social recluses. A FC that can appear do be completely dead and not get any lines of in game chat ever can be extremely active over mumble for example.

I feel so sorry for ps3 users on those FCs , they must think their FC is dead junk , such awesomeness they lost.....

[Feyniphia]

I feel so sorry for ps3 users on those FCs , they must think their FC is dead junk , such awesomeness they lost.....

I'm on PS3 and yet I talk a lot... doesnt matter who's on PS3 or PC.

[Tiraelina]

So how many actually attempt to strike something up rather than just complain about players not being social enough? It works both ways.

As has been said as well, I'm always on my vent server with friends talking away. It's not really a need, it's a want because of the flexibility. We're not restricted to any one game and you can play and talk, playing and typing doesn't mesh so well.

[Desidious]

I'm on PS3 and yet I talk a lot... doesnt matter who's on PS3 or PC.

This. PS3 users can use keyboards easy enough. I do and I'm pretty damn chatty myself.