One of the issues with FFXIV...

[Gramul]

immersion

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[Azurymber]

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so what? Thats what NA gamers like. They want to feel like they are in the battle (COD), forging their own adventure in a dynamic world (elder scrolls, fallout), have realistic physics (nhl 2k12 fifa 2k12) etc. Games that make players feel like they are part of the game and not external to the game succeed in North America.
North American players do not want to sit there and hit enter for hours like it takes for crafting in this game.

[Gramul]

so what? Thats what NA gamers like. They want to feel like they are in the battle (COD), forging their own adventure in a dynamic world (elder scrolls, fallout), have realistic physics (nhl 2k12 fifa 2k12) etc. Games that make players feel like they are part of the game and not external to the game succeed in North America.
North American players do not want to sit there and hit enter for hours like it takes for crafting in this game.

All joking over the "I" word aside, I think you're confusing immersion with engagement. Take Minecraft for example. Not a particularly "immersive" game. The graphics and physics are the furthest thing from realistic, but the game is engaging and has well over a million users.

A game doesn't have to have realistic graphics or physics to pull you in. Those are just aesthetic choices that should be used to complement the gameplay and create a strong overall aesthetic. Hell the best selling systems of the generation have been the underpowered ones with all the stylized games.
CoD:Whateverthecrap may be the best selling games at the moment, but that doesn't invalidate the popularity of other titles, nor does it mean that people like CoD or Skyrim for the realism.