Thing is, we're already synced down to 150 and materia is ignored. However if you have gear above 150, you will essentially be maxed out on your stats as if you had the best you could have of those stats at 150. Someone who is not actually at i150 or above would not have those stats, and thus be a liability to your team. And there's little excuse to not have proper gear by now if you're level 60, and thus, able to queue for the Feast.

And on the concept of fun, I wanna squash this argument once and for all: "I play for fun" is a weak argument that really holds no weight. EVERYONE plays for fun. However "playing for fun" is not an excuse not to properly prepare or put forth your best effort. Many people who get labeled "tryhards" or something equally asinine are playing to win. And winning is generally fun. So the idea of "I play for fun (therefore don't need to try my best or be serious)" is self-defeating and actually, NOT fun. Not for you, or the team you would inevitably drag down with that kind of thinking.