Quote Originally Posted by Daniolaut View Post
And sorry popularity does not mean quality. In fact, popularity normally means the exact opposite.
This line here really struck me. I started thinking about all kinds of things I've known to be popular (girls and boys in school, tv shows, music, etc.) But it wasn't the quality of these nouns that I noticed was lacking; it was that the quality consequentially deteriorated the more popular they got. I quickly noticed that many things that have fallen out of favor with me, were once held with high esteem, and likely still would had it not catered to the lowest common denominator. Final Fantasy VII, Star Wars and Game of Thrones are other of many examples off the top of my head I could come up with that have been obliterated by their own popularity.

Of course, if either you or I were to go to a board meeting and tell them that quality is greater than quantity, they would show us a bunch of numbers that points to all evidence being in the contrary. We would also likely get told that FFXIV is an mmorpg, and that dialing in on any individual's tastes isn't in anyone's best interest except for that individual. That would be the end of it, because you can't argue against numbers unless they are incorrect.

Crafting and gathering is something I still greatly enjoy above everything else. However, I also don't craft and gather like everyone else; or rather, not for the same reasons most do. When I notice 90% of the crafters in over-melded facet gear don't have their own signature on their gear, it makes me wonder how many players actually enjoy crafting and gathering. I have found that the lowest common denominator seeks instant gratification, takes the easy and fast road, and don't care at all about the journey and aim straight for the destination.

What this basically all means is that for me to enjoy an mmo experience, I have to accept that I am playing an mmo. I have to go out there and find things I enjoy instead of focusing on what I don't, because there is going to be a good amount of both in a thriving mmo. If the day comes that I can no longer find enough things I enjoy, then my FFXIV days will have come to an end. I guess you just have to ask yourself if the boat has already sunk or not.