Is FFXIV viable as an MMORPG without doing end-game & raiding?

[Aoxaviar]

I have been a part of this world since 2.0 Beta and for what keeps me here is 2 separate issues, and 1 is completely looked over and the other is hinted at:

1 - My SE cherry was FFVII and I was hooked from that point forward. I am a lock-step loyalist to the Final Fantasy franchise. With that said, no I haven't beaten and played everything they have. I played but didn't finish FFIX (story was ok, but the cartoony graphics are what finally did it) and I never touched FFXI (didn't have a PC that would handle it, and didn't want to spend $100 on a console game which needed a hard drive at that time. Besides PS3 was fast approaching!)

2 - Based upon all of my single player gaming experience in the FF Universes, I have found that I am a completionist type of player. I want to do it all, and will do it all. Downside is that I don't get paid to play, so I do have real world commits (family, job, etc) so I play when I can. With that said I haven't gotten my crafters maxed, 2 out of 3 gathers at 60, one DoW at 60, 3 out of 5 mages at 50, all other fight jobs at 30 to 35.

Now with all of that said, I will never be the type of player who goes after Savage Raid Content unless it is years old and I finally decide to care about it.

For me its story and trying to complete the story. Do I do raids, sure, they are part of the story (somehow) related to the rest of the happenings.

These are the points that I think keep the subs up for the game since most of us who keep our subs active are players like myself - we play because we love it and we also play at our own pace.

I do agree with some points made by others - alot of talk happens from the very loud fringe portions of the community which is probably anywhere from 1% to 10% of the total community based on information provided.

As for marketing this game, I don't think SE really markets anything about this game. Hell, I never even heard they put out 1.0! and if you wish to hate on me for that, I accept it.

I think that SE knows that their base is the player like myself, and they know as long a content is added, the bar is being moved either radically (expansions) or generally (patches) that I will continue to spend my $20 USA to keep exploring and enjoying the world that is a second home.

Now if I could just get my book worm of a wife to try this story out....separate discussion but will never happen.