Quote Originally Posted by Artemed View Post
If people don't have the time to invest in a something, why the hell are they even doing it. I just don't get this way of thinking.
Profitable game design (Many would outright say good game design) requires that a game be ACCESSIBLE. The average gamer is no longer a teenager with obscene amounts of free time. Using FFXI as an example I often spent as long just forming a party and doing NOTHING BUT looking for a party as I ended up being able to spend leveling or doing whatever content. Game designers need to think about the player's sense of reward for their investment of time. A game that forces you to form your own parties in large inhospitable worlds certainly offer plenty of immersion. You would probably say a lot more "immersion" than FFXIV currently offers but the problem in this case is that immersion breaks accessibility. The full-time working Mom just isn't going to be able to play the game you wish FFXIV was in any practical way. This person essentially CANNOT play and CANNOT enjoy the game making it inaccessible for him or her. This is why the gameplay you enjoy is enjoying a slow death. Until robots are doing our jobs and the vast majority of us no longer have work or responsibility you wont see a resurgence in that type of gameplay.