The Daily Grind: Why do you play?
Unlike your average video game, which arrives on store shelves with a pre-defined scope and story, MMOs are an ongoing, evolving experience. (That World of Warcraft box you picked up four years ago bore only a faint resemblance to the game you're playing today.) Every time you log on, there's the chance of a completely new experience. Perhaps a recent patch introduced a new zone for play. Perhaps a recent patch introduced some unpredictable bugs. Perhaps your friends have decided to stage an in-game dance competition in the middle of your opposing faction's city. You won't know for sure until you log on and see -- and even after years of playing, you may encounter something in your favorite MMO that will surprise and delight you.
But evolution isn't always an entertaining process. As the game grows, sometimes you'll find it's changed in ways you don't like. And other times you may find yourself hitting a wall, as you reach the end of the current round of game content with nothing new on the horizon. And yet other times you may find that the game just seems to be an endless grind in which you're repeating the same tasks hundreds of times in order to pick up that next shiny piece of loot. In times of trouble, what is it that keeps you playing? Friends and guild-mates? The obsessive-compulsive need to complete every quest or earn every achievement? (Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, folks!) The fun of playing a new alt? Tell us, why do you play?
