Actually, Pacer, there is precedent. We are living in a different era now. When FFXI was released i think it was 15 yrs ago, MMO were known mainly to hardcore game players. I would wager that most of the people playing now wouldn't even touch FFXI. Its the generation we are in now. Instant gratification. And no matter how much we want things to stay the same, these "new consumers" are what companies are targeting. Just look at videogames in general from 15 yrs ago to now. I used to play game that were merciless, like ninja gaiden. Tell me some of you remember how hard that game was. Im not saying that anybody is right or wrong. Im saying that making videogames is a big business, bigger than it was even 15 yrs ago. And in order to stay in business, you have to attract clients/consumers.You have to realize that there is a larger percentage of casual gamers now than there was 15 yrs ago. And with the advent of new technology and instant success from instant gratification games added with the economy and the amount of time spent working/income generated, more people play games casually than ever before. So it makes sense that gaming companies want to cater to casuals as well because they want their business.

Now since we have established that this isn't the good old days of gaming anymore, you have to realize that its still a business. Yes it would be nice to tell people to go play other games if they don't have the time. But telling those same people that is no different than telling people that can't afford to pay sub to stop playing, or if you don't want to play the game and only want to craft stuff and collect vanity then play something else. But in a business sense, saying those things and alienating people will cost SE more money than they can afford. Its just the way gaming has evolved over the years. Its one of the reasons I believe we don't have as many jrpg's over here in the states on these next gen systems. Lots of new players don't wanna solve puzzles, don't wanna out-think their opponent, don't wanna grind for hours, days, and weeks. They want it now and they want it all. Just look at how games are made now vs. 15-20yrs ago. Not just graphics. Look at gameplay, look at story, look at mechanics. I remember playing Resident Evil on PSOne when it first came out. I didn't have memory card, didn't have strategy guides, didn't have gamefaqs.com and such. I had to learn and memorize the game and figure out its puzzles. Took me almost a year to beat that game. Now...take RE6....I beat that game in less than a week with all characters.

What I'm trying to get at is that game companies are definitely making games to cater more towards casual players (remember, Casual means time put into game, not difficulty) more because if a game takes too long to complete because u have to put too much time into it, the casual gamer is going to go to something else. Especially if that casual gamer is also looking for instant gratification in as little time as possible. That's why I keep hearing people say this game is a theme-park mmo, something for everyone. More money for SE, more updates, more patches, for us. Don't push away, belittle, or blast players that can't put as much time in the game as you, because those same players are paying the same amount for the sub as you, but are getting less.