Is the game built based on the wrong perspective?

[Anonymoose]

TL/DR Version:
Why is this game built respective to trying to balance the needs of "casual" players and "hardcore" players when the true binary at work here is over the perception of whether or not "Sandbox Development Tasks" are as big of a part of the game as "Content" is.

Articulated Version

This game seems to be built trying to balance the desires of two extremes of play-style: The age old Casual vs. Hardcore formula. However, I'd like to propose the idea that this approach to developing FFXIV may be entirely misguided.

All of the rifts in the player-base seem to be caused by a different extreme: those who see grinding levels for progress as the 'meat' of an MMORPG, and those who see it in taking part in the content that requires said progression. (Thenceforth referred to as "Canopy Content;" i.e. whatever is considered endgame relative to current levelcap)

The people who believe that leveling classes is the meat of the game believe that it should be every bit as time consuming as canopy content.

• Death should have harsh penalties regardless of situation,
• gear damage rates should be higher,
• exp should be regulated,
• power-leveling should be limited,
• soloing should be much slower.
• EXP loss is forgivable, that's the risk taken for progress

However, there are those that believe that leveling classes is the elementary school of an MMO; the bare basics required to take part in real content. By this logic, as long as you learn how to play your job efficiently, it shouldn't necessarily require just as much time-input as content itself - as they are just the prerequisites to job progression quests, the main scenario, company missions, and canopy content. Therefore, the basic leveling grind should carry mechanics like:

• Death should not carry arbitrary timesinks, but limit survivability in a high-importance battle
• gear damage rates should be lower, if existent at all on earned gear
• EXP should be situational, but overall easy to get
• If friends are willing to power-level you, you deserve to get there faster to play with them.
• soloing should be just as legitimate as partying
• The loss of exp you've already earned is ridiculous.

Casuals and Hardcores may fall on opposite sides of these issues, generally, but to liken this to politics, party affiliations may generally agree on the same sides of the issues, but the issues are not based on party affiliation: being against abortion doesn't automatically make you a republican; disagreeing on what is a "basic requirement" and what is "real content" doesn't make you casual or hardcore.

So why are we trying to balance the game in this manner? Based on the arguments caused by 1.18 & 1.19, I'd say the true issues aren't being addressed at all and the game is only becoming more divided and unbalanced in the areas that make it an MMORPG.

To put it bluntly:
I absolutely love Final Fantasy XIV, I just don't really want to play it anymore.
The MMO Mechanics of it rob me of any enjoyment the actual game content provides.
Should the game be re-evaluated with more regard to perception of the game's meaning than whether you play it casually or hardcore?

My Mindset:

I spend more time on meeting and maintaining the most basic, boring, monotonous requirements of the game than I do on actually taking part in the game; and while the hardcore mindset might automatically fall on, "GOOD! EARN THAT SHIT!", I don't necessarily feel like that's required. I consider myself a hardcore player, and yet I'd prefer to be hardcore in my pursuit of content, not arbitrarily based, artificially extended base requirements.

To me, those who say otherwise do so out of the insecurity that if people who play just as well but not as often earn the same perks they do, they're perceived as worth less. Personally, I don't think your psychological dependence on the game having to be a place you feel like you matter for once should influence my in-game enjoyment and the game's build mechanics - but hey, that's not only irrelevant to the conversation, it's biased. So let's ignore that.

Anyone care to discuss?