Originally posted by MisterSr I've recently come to the conclusion after a day of self-reflection that I've squandered the last six years of my life on MMOs. Games in general are a gargantuan waste of time, but they're fun, right? Generally that is true, but I believe in the case of MMOs that statement is hardly correct. MMOs initially were loads of "fun" because people were finally given the opportunity to live and thrive in a world with other people--exist in a world that wasn't their own. But it never occurred to the average MMO gamer in 2004 that the game they were playing lacked substance, because they were so caught up in the moment of the MMO... ... This is a sad cycle which has been set. MMO players are finally having their eyes opened, MMOs aren't fun, and they never were. Yes, you may have had some good moments ... and a hundred other hours lost. When I play real games, like Mass Effect, Red Dead Redemption, Final Fantasy 7, Kingdom Hearts, Call of Duty, Half-Life 2, ect. I'm given something much greater, something much more; I'm given a grand story delivered with a plethora of fun... ... Every MMO feels like a job, and not a fun job, more like the job where you sit there doing the same thing over and over and over again... It's time for someone to step up and make something worthwhile, and I hope they do it soon, because honestly, I can't take the ennui of MMOs anymore, it's time for change.
I took the liberty of cropping your message so others will not have to read throught the same long post again.
What do you mean by a "real" game?
I think that if 90% of the people thant have played games on a regular gasis for 4 or more years will agree, to some extent, that it is like a drug, you get addicted to it, and you get to the point that you need your daily fix [or as oftn as possible]. And real life? Like a dope addict or alcoholic, you lose sleep or do not sleep well, the family is ignored, take out the trash, mow the lawn? Let it pile up, I need to get to my next level with this mage ...
Intel Core i7 7700K, MB is Gigabyte Z270X-UD5 SSD x2, 4TB WD Black HHD, 32GB RAM, MSI GTX 980 Ti Lightning LE video card
I've recently come to the conclusion after a day of self-reflection that I've squandered the last six years of my life on MMOs. Games in general are a gargantuan waste of time, but they're fun, right? Generally that is true, but I believe in the case of MMOs that statement is hardly correct.
MMOs initially were loads of "fun" because people were finally given the opportunity to live and thrive in a world with other people--exist in a world that wasn't their own. But it never occurred to the average MMO gamer in 2004 that the game they were playing lacked substance, because they were so caught up in the moment of the MMO. But it's no longer 2004, it's 2010, and games nowadays need more than just interaction with other people in a game. The video game industry in general has made great leaps and strides since it's beginning, and yet it seems MMO developers nowadays are still stuck in the same mindset as those from back in 2004. Where is that something new, fun, and most importantly innovative? I remember in 2007 all the hype surrounding the new line of "next-gen" MMOs; Warhammer, AoC, Huxley (which seems long gone and forgotten), Gods and Heroes, Star Trek, ect. And each of those games failed terribly in one way or another, but I think a general consensus can be made on the fact that none of those games were truly fun. And it seems year after year this same problem arises. In 2008 a second new line of "next-gen" MMOs was announced, and players once again were excited to see something new, and were yet again thrown trash the next year. And AGAIN in 2009 we were promised the next greatest thing, and were given some load of dooky to eat up. This is a sad cycle which has been set.
MMO players are finally having their eyes opened, MMOs aren't fun, and they never were. Yes, you may have had some good moments that stood out while finally downing every boss in ZG, or reaching the largest level city in SWG, ect. But I honestly think the only reason those moments seemed so fun was because amongst all the monotonous crap that you were exposed to while playing mmos, something good finally happened, something to justify those hundreds of hours of toil. But really all you are left with after you've accomplished that goal of yours is a memory of a slight moment, and a hundred other hours lost. When I play real games, like Mass Effect, Red Dead Redemption, Final Fantasy 7, Kingdom Hearts, Call of Duty, Half-Life 2, ect. I'm given something much greater, something much more; I'm given a grand story delivered with a plethora of fun. Yes, that statement may sound a tad ridiculous, but it's true. I would never call any of those games a gargantuan waste of time because I had fun all the way through, and that is something single-player games have on MMOs; having fun all the way through.
I think developers need to seriously re-evaluate their strategies, because honestly, I don't come home to play an MMO and work more. I play games to relieve stress and to enjoy myself, and MMOs haven't ever done this for me. Every MMO feels like a job, and not a fun job, more like the job where you sit there doing the same thing over and over and over again. MMOs are a monotonous job. I want a game that leaves me with something, and MMOs don't do that. I'm not saying there isn't potential in the industry, it just seems that all developers want nowadays is to give you less for more money. It's time for someone to step up and make something worthwhile, and I hope they do it soon, because honestly, I can't take the ennui of MMOs anymore, it's time for change.
I am sorry mmo's are not fun for you, they are fun for me - which is why I play them. If you played them and didn't realize you were not having fun, well then.
The OPs inability to manage his own life is no reflection on how good bad or indifferent MMOs may or may not be. Just the OP trying to justify his own deficiencies and blame MMOs.
MMOs provide an opportunity for gamers that others don't, it is all about choice nothing more.
________________________________________________________ Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
I think the problem lies within the fact that people who play these games no longer have to rely on and integrate themselves into the greater community within the game. I don't think many would argue when I say that, in comparison to single player games, MMORPG gameplay is fairly limited, and (more of an opinion here) once the graphical shine wears off, the games tend to become pretty stale. The difference between, for example, Everquest and WoW was the fact that players were forced to integrate themselves into the community, whether it be forced grouping, bartering in the EC tunnel, or raiding with their guild. In World of Warcraft, I think we see integration, but it's almost entirely concentrated at the endgame as there's little to on forced and barely any "encouraged" interaction between players until the beginning of the raid game. When players aren't given enough opportunity to feel integrated into the community, the repetitive nature of the gameplay becomes all the more apparent, and I think that's why so many people have such difficulty finding another MMORPG to call home after they've played through WoW. MMORPGs after WoW are larger very similar to each other and some would argue that MMORPGs were always similar to one another. The difference is that post-WoW, developers aren't doing enough to pull them players into the community in order to hide the repetitive nature of the gameplay.
While I agree that social integration is a key element in a long term successful game I don’t believe that it needs to be forced. While forced interaction was acceptable when the cost of entry to play a MMO was high (high monthly internet costs, high PC costs to run the game, etc.) and the number of MMO’s was limited there are just too many choices in this day and age to keep people in large number by forcing them to group up.
A much better strategy is to encourage teaming in subtle ways (better XP, better loot drops, guild perk/bonuses/leveling, dynamic grouping/events, etc.) and to give the social tools to let people group up and create those social groups. Strong guild tools at launch is one of the key things I think most MMO’s are missing these days and it’s a shame because after the glimmer and glow of a new MMO wears off it’s the social bonds you build in that first 30-60 days that keeps you buying a subscription more than anything else IMO.
The OPs inability to manage his own life is no reflection on how good bad or indifferent MMOs may or may not be. Just the OP trying to justify his own deficiencies and blame MMOs.
MMOs provide an opportunity for gamers that others don't, it is all about choice nothing more.
This isn't a question whether it is good or bad, but rather if the game is fun or not. Both are equally subjective however, so I'm not sure how much the distinction matters. I do agree with you though in that it is all about choice. He had the choice to either be at play or at work, and he chose the latter. Games can either be games or jobs (e.g. casual vs. professional sports), and the manner in which you approach the game determines its nature. So really you can't say MMOs aren't fun because what you really mean is that they aren't fun to you, because either you engaged with them in a such a way that wasn't "fun," or because you just don't like the game itself. Either way the OP and all the grumblers need to go do something they enjoy instead of complaining about how they hate what they're doing. Games are optional remember? You don't have to play.
This month marks my wife and I's 6th year playing WoW and i have got to say we love the game. Other than WoW i have invested a lot of time in other MMOs like AoC, EVE, LOTRO, EQ and CoH. MMOs are the most fun and have given me the most fondest of memories than any genre of game ever could. I understand the fact that MMOs can get tedious and feel like work sometimes (the fun out weighs it all imo) and we all get burnt out but posting this thread and whining about MMOs in some desperate cry for attention is just silly.
If you are tired of the game and/or MMOs in general, just stop playing and go do something else. I don't see why you feel the need to share your dislike to the rest of the world. Frankly no one cares
You should add at the end "for me". MMOs aren't fun, and they never truly were for me. That's how the tittle should had been because this is your opinion. I personally had a blast in many cases and love this genre more than any other.
MMO's are fun for me, although i dont spend hours in front of the computer screen each day, i play casually. Its not work for me if i enjoy the journey to the goals ive set for myself. I could see it being not fun for those who spend hours and hours chassing each piece of gear they must have, and then repeating the cycle over and over again. But this is not how I play and thus i enjoy my experiences in any game i play in what is my favourite genre.
I disagree, you dont accidentally waste 6 years playing MMO's, you like em, or you dont. Maybe now that your tired of them they arent fun, but 6 years ago, your ass couldnt wait to sit down and play
You spent 6 years paying 15 bucks a month and wasting a lot of time on something you didn't thought was fun?
Just one question: WHY?
If you don't have fun it is time to do something else, like getting a life. The world is filled with fun stuff and opportunities and life is too short to spend your spare time on stuff that is boring.
I like playing MMOs and when I get bored I quit until it is fun again which take everything from a week to a year (usually 3-4 weeks). You should try that even if it takes years, and if it never feels fun again there is no reason to ever go back.
The purpose of playing MMOs is to have fun. If you don't you are losing the game and if you have fun you are winning, that is the entire point even if the publisher point is to make money.
In other breaking news we are saddened to announce that longtime Blackburrow revolutionary Fippy Darkpaw has died in conflict with the Qeynos guards about 5 minutes ago. Our compassion goes out the the Darkpaw clan and all their memebrs. Sevvices will be held in the Blackburrow waterfall at noon tom.. and wait.. what's this "YAP YAP" .. "GRRR"..
If you think mmos are time wasting, then don't play any videogames at all. Yea sure, they take time. If one likes videogames then they are only TIME CONSUMING, not time wasting.
I personally think that casual mmorpgs are fun, just wait until dc universe kotoro doesnt look bad for casual either, anyways people try to say the same thing about sp games and it just isnt true, just like anything in the gaming industry some mmos are junk some are good, as are sp games some are good some are junk.
MMORPGs by themselves are very primitive. The community interaction is what differenciates them from single player games.
I don't understand people that purely "solo-play" MMORPGs, they'd get more out of their money by playing a single player RPG. But I also don't understand people watching TV-Stations that assume their viewers aren't smart.
First of all forgive me I didn't read the whole thread as I didn't want to read through seven pages. I just wanted to say that I thought it was a good post and a valid opinion. Infact I sort of share the opinion and wrote a thread like this a few months ago. That said I have started playing wurm again. So while I agree in general about MMO's not being fun I have refound an exception for me, for now.
-MMOs are potentially fun, but if they happen to be, it might not be because of the game mechanics, especially recently.
-Games' mechanics can condition you to keep playing them long after they've ceased to be fun for you (though of course, as soon as you become conscious of what's happening, you can choose to defy that compulsion and quit).
-"Fun" may not be completely subjective, like many people in this thread like to state, nor necessarily an objective feature of something, but an experience commonly intuitively derived from certain types of engagements (which is why many of us can agree on certain experiences being fun while others aren't). In other words, there can be certain qualities that make an experience fun (though those criteria may not be met by an entire game). Of course, like any experience, you have to be open to it. No one can be forced completely against their will to experience fun.
I've recently come to the conclusion after a day of self-reflection that I've squandered the last six years of my life on MMOs. Games in general are a gargantuan waste of time, but they're fun, right? Generally that is true, but I believe in the case of MMOs that statement is hardly correct.
MMOs initially were loads of "fun" because people were finally given the opportunity to live and thrive in a world with other people--exist in a world that wasn't their own. But it never occurred to the average MMO gamer in 2004 that the game they were playing lacked substance, because they were so caught up in the moment of the MMO. But it's no longer 2004, it's 2010, and games nowadays need more than just interaction with other people in a game. The video game industry in general has made great leaps and strides since it's beginning, and yet it seems MMO developers nowadays are still stuck in the same mindset as those from back in 2004. Where is that something new, fun, and most importantly innovative? I remember in 2007 all the hype surrounding the new line of "next-gen" MMOs; Warhammer, AoC, Huxley (which seems long gone and forgotten), Gods and Heroes, Star Trek, ect. And each of those games failed terribly in one way or another, but I think a general consensus can be made on the fact that none of those games were truly fun. And it seems year after year this same problem arises. In 2008 a second new line of "next-gen" MMOs was announced, and players once again were excited to see something new, and were yet again thrown trash the next year. And AGAIN in 2009 we were promised the next greatest thing, and were given some load of dooky to eat up. This is a sad cycle which has been set.
MMO players are finally having their eyes opened, MMOs aren't fun, and they never were. Yes, you may have had some good moments that stood out while finally downing every boss in ZG, or reaching the largest level city in SWG, ect. But I honestly think the only reason those moments seemed so fun was because amongst all the monotonous crap that you were exposed to while playing mmos, something good finally happened, something to justify those hundreds of hours of toil. But really all you are left with after you've accomplished that goal of yours is a memory of a slight moment, and a hundred other hours lost. When I play real games, like Mass Effect, Red Dead Redemption, Final Fantasy 7, Kingdom Hearts, Call of Duty, Half-Life 2, ect. I'm given something much greater, something much more; I'm given a grand story delivered with a plethora of fun. Yes, that statement may sound a tad ridiculous, but it's true. I would never call any of those games a gargantuan waste of time because I had fun all the way through, and that is something single-player games have on MMOs; having fun all the way through.
I think developers need to seriously re-evaluate their strategies, because honestly, I don't come home to play an MMO and work more. I play games to relieve stress and to enjoy myself, and MMOs haven't ever done this for me. Every MMO feels like a job, and not a fun job, more like the job where you sit there doing the same thing over and over and over again. MMOs are a monotonous job. I want a game that leaves me with something, and MMOs don't do that. I'm not saying there isn't potential in the industry, it just seems that all developers want nowadays is to give you less for more money. It's time for someone to step up and make something worthwhile, and I hope they do it soon, because honestly, I can't take the ennui of MMOs anymore, it's time for change.
In mmo's is not the content, is the community that plays the content with you, when you forget about the community and play alone, or just to reach max level is when mmos stop being fun.
I've been having fun in MMO's since 1998 and continue to do so. My playstyle has changed in that time as I have moved away from groups and guilds and I tend now only to solo or duo with my son or a RL friend, but I still interact with other players in other ways.
I simply don't play computer games in order to socialise - and I think that's why a lot of people find them ultimately disappointing because sitting alone at a computer can never match being out with real people irrespective of your online camaraderie.
Also, as games have become more and more dumbed down the amount of downtime has dropped to the point where there isn't any really, and that means groups tend to be pretty manic affairs run at such a frantic pace that they feel more like a chore than they did when you nattered with each other between every fight.
I have been playing since 1999 and I have been having fun. I know fun when I see it and I know how much I enjoyed myself in Old Everquest when I first started. Lot of it had to do with the people I played with.
I think your problem lies in not finding a good experience and the projection of that dissatisfaction on the genre in general. Your experience is not mine. I have had so much fun that my memories of this genre have been tainted by some games to a point I may have become irrevocably nostalgic. My early days in City of Heroes come to mind on how great it is to play a game where we are not quite sure what the rules are and how we are to complete a mission and thinking OMG this is hard.
In a way I feel sorry for you because you seem to have missed out of the feeling of awesome comaraderie and just plain companionship and the fun that ensues as a result of playing with people you like. This genre isn't about what you can get out of it. Your contribution is key to what you can reap from it. When I started to enjoy BGs in WoW after having run away screaming from the guild raids I enjoyed it because I set my mind out to play with the idea of helping my team mates in the bg. Initially this proved very challenging as some people were only interested in farming but later on it turned out that some of us kept seeing each other and pretty soon we developed a few teams that if three of us were about we tried to get the objectives. Yes just people I met and we worked well together while we ignored those who had other goals.
Games cannot have fun for you. You have to work towards using the game to make it fun for you. That is also true about life in general .You cannot be a spectator and expect to have the amount of fun a participant might have.
Is this what the world of Mmo gamers think? or what you and only you believe? why else play a game if not for fun, there are many enjoyable mmorpg's out there, what your saying is one minded and foolish. If we arent meant to enjoy life and help others, what is the purpose of living?
People play Mmo's because they really like them, same with choosing a different game, different people like differant games, therefore, many people clearly do enjoy mmo's without a doubt. And therefore if you do enjoy them there in no way a waste of time.
Comments
I took the liberty of cropping your message so others will not have to read throught the same long post again.
What do you mean by a "real" game?
I think that if 90% of the people thant have played games on a regular gasis for 4 or more years will agree, to some extent, that it is like a drug, you get addicted to it, and you get to the point that you need your daily fix [or as oftn as possible]. And real life? Like a dope addict or alcoholic, you lose sleep or do not sleep well, the family is ignored, take out the trash, mow the lawn? Let it pile up, I need to get to my next level with this mage ...
Intel Core i7 7700K, MB is Gigabyte Z270X-UD5
SSD x2, 4TB WD Black HHD, 32GB RAM, MSI GTX 980 Ti Lightning LE video card
I am sorry mmo's are not fun for you, they are fun for me - which is why I play them. If you played them and didn't realize you were not having fun, well then.
Currently bored with MMO's.
The OPs inability to manage his own life is no reflection on how good bad or indifferent MMOs may or may not be. Just the OP trying to justify his own deficiencies and blame MMOs.
MMOs provide an opportunity for gamers that others don't, it is all about choice nothing more.
________________________________________________________
Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
While I agree that social integration is a key element in a long term successful game I don’t believe that it needs to be forced. While forced interaction was acceptable when the cost of entry to play a MMO was high (high monthly internet costs, high PC costs to run the game, etc.) and the number of MMO’s was limited there are just too many choices in this day and age to keep people in large number by forcing them to group up.
A much better strategy is to encourage teaming in subtle ways (better XP, better loot drops, guild perk/bonuses/leveling, dynamic grouping/events, etc.) and to give the social tools to let people group up and create those social groups. Strong guild tools at launch is one of the key things I think most MMO’s are missing these days and it’s a shame because after the glimmer and glow of a new MMO wears off it’s the social bonds you build in that first 30-60 days that keeps you buying a subscription more than anything else IMO.
This isn't a question whether it is good or bad, but rather if the game is fun or not. Both are equally subjective however, so I'm not sure how much the distinction matters. I do agree with you though in that it is all about choice. He had the choice to either be at play or at work, and he chose the latter. Games can either be games or jobs (e.g. casual vs. professional sports), and the manner in which you approach the game determines its nature. So really you can't say MMOs aren't fun because what you really mean is that they aren't fun to you, because either you engaged with them in a such a way that wasn't "fun," or because you just don't like the game itself. Either way the OP and all the grumblers need to go do something they enjoy instead of complaining about how they hate what they're doing. Games are optional remember? You don't have to play.
This month marks my wife and I's 6th year playing WoW and i have got to say we love the game. Other than WoW i have invested a lot of time in other MMOs like AoC, EVE, LOTRO, EQ and CoH. MMOs are the most fun and have given me the most fondest of memories than any genre of game ever could. I understand the fact that MMOs can get tedious and feel like work sometimes (the fun out weighs it all imo) and we all get burnt out but posting this thread and whining about MMOs in some desperate cry for attention is just silly.
If you are tired of the game and/or MMOs in general, just stop playing and go do something else. I don't see why you feel the need to share your dislike to the rest of the world. Frankly no one cares
You should add at the end "for me". MMOs aren't fun, and they never truly were for me. That's how the tittle should had been because this is your opinion. I personally had a blast in many cases and love this genre more than any other.
MMO's are fun for me, although i dont spend hours in front of the computer screen each day, i play casually. Its not work for me if i enjoy the journey to the goals ive set for myself. I could see it being not fun for those who spend hours and hours chassing each piece of gear they must have, and then repeating the cycle over and over again. But this is not how I play and thus i enjoy my experiences in any game i play in what is my favourite genre.
I disagree, you dont accidentally waste 6 years playing MMO's, you like em, or you dont. Maybe now that your tired of them they arent fun, but 6 years ago, your ass couldnt wait to sit down and play
You spent 6 years paying 15 bucks a month and wasting a lot of time on something you didn't thought was fun?
Just one question: WHY?
If you don't have fun it is time to do something else, like getting a life. The world is filled with fun stuff and opportunities and life is too short to spend your spare time on stuff that is boring.
I like playing MMOs and when I get bored I quit until it is fun again which take everything from a week to a year (usually 3-4 weeks). You should try that even if it takes years, and if it never feels fun again there is no reason to ever go back.
The purpose of playing MMOs is to have fun. If you don't you are losing the game and if you have fun you are winning, that is the entire point even if the publisher point is to make money.
In other breaking news we are saddened to announce that longtime Blackburrow revolutionary Fippy Darkpaw has died in conflict with the Qeynos guards about 5 minutes ago. Our compassion goes out the the Darkpaw clan and all their memebrs. Sevvices will be held in the Blackburrow waterfall at noon tom.. and wait.. what's this "YAP YAP" .. "GRRR"..
Well, well, well what a loser!
If you think mmos are time wasting, then don't play any videogames at all. Yea sure, they take time. If one likes videogames then they are only TIME CONSUMING, not time wasting.
There! I said it.
I personally think that casual mmorpgs are fun, just wait until dc universe kotoro doesnt look bad for casual either, anyways people try to say the same thing about sp games and it just isnt true, just like anything in the gaming industry some mmos are junk some are good, as are sp games some are good some are junk.
MMORPGs by themselves are very primitive. The community interaction is what differenciates them from single player games.
I don't understand people that purely "solo-play" MMORPGs, they'd get more out of their money by playing a single player RPG. But I also don't understand people watching TV-Stations that assume their viewers aren't smart.
First of all forgive me I didn't read the whole thread as I didn't want to read through seven pages. I just wanted to say that I thought it was a good post and a valid opinion. Infact I sort of share the opinion and wrote a thread like this a few months ago. That said I have started playing wurm again. So while I agree in general about MMO's not being fun I have refound an exception for me, for now.
This was just posted today and seems somewhat relevant:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2487-The-Skinner-Box
Conclusions to be drawn here:
-MMOs are potentially fun, but if they happen to be, it might not be because of the game mechanics, especially recently.
-Games' mechanics can condition you to keep playing them long after they've ceased to be fun for you (though of course, as soon as you become conscious of what's happening, you can choose to defy that compulsion and quit).
-"Fun" may not be completely subjective, like many people in this thread like to state, nor necessarily an objective feature of something, but an experience commonly intuitively derived from certain types of engagements (which is why many of us can agree on certain experiences being fun while others aren't). In other words, there can be certain qualities that make an experience fun (though those criteria may not be met by an entire game). Of course, like any experience, you have to be open to it. No one can be forced completely against their will to experience fun.
In mmo's is not the content, is the community that plays the content with you, when you forget about the community and play alone, or just to reach max level is when mmos stop being fun.
I've been having fun in MMO's since 1998 and continue to do so. My playstyle has changed in that time as I have moved away from groups and guilds and I tend now only to solo or duo with my son or a RL friend, but I still interact with other players in other ways.
I simply don't play computer games in order to socialise - and I think that's why a lot of people find them ultimately disappointing because sitting alone at a computer can never match being out with real people irrespective of your online camaraderie.
Also, as games have become more and more dumbed down the amount of downtime has dropped to the point where there isn't any really, and that means groups tend to be pretty manic affairs run at such a frantic pace that they feel more like a chore than they did when you nattered with each other between every fight.
I have been playing since 1999 and I have been having fun. I know fun when I see it and I know how much I enjoyed myself in Old Everquest when I first started. Lot of it had to do with the people I played with.
I think your problem lies in not finding a good experience and the projection of that dissatisfaction on the genre in general. Your experience is not mine. I have had so much fun that my memories of this genre have been tainted by some games to a point I may have become irrevocably nostalgic. My early days in City of Heroes come to mind on how great it is to play a game where we are not quite sure what the rules are and how we are to complete a mission and thinking OMG this is hard.
In a way I feel sorry for you because you seem to have missed out of the feeling of awesome comaraderie and just plain companionship and the fun that ensues as a result of playing with people you like. This genre isn't about what you can get out of it. Your contribution is key to what you can reap from it. When I started to enjoy BGs in WoW after having run away screaming from the guild raids I enjoyed it because I set my mind out to play with the idea of helping my team mates in the bg. Initially this proved very challenging as some people were only interested in farming but later on it turned out that some of us kept seeing each other and pretty soon we developed a few teams that if three of us were about we tried to get the objectives. Yes just people I met and we worked well together while we ignored those who had other goals.
Games cannot have fun for you. You have to work towards using the game to make it fun for you. That is also true about life in general .You cannot be a spectator and expect to have the amount of fun a participant might have.
Doing anything with a bunch of friends is fun, the only time an mmo is not fun is when your soloing.
Therefore the only people that really dont like mmo's are those that dont have any friends or try to solo all the time.
Is this what the world of Mmo gamers think? or what you and only you believe? why else play a game if not for fun, there are many enjoyable mmorpg's out there, what your saying is one minded and foolish. If we arent meant to enjoy life and help others, what is the purpose of living?
People play Mmo's because they really like them, same with choosing a different game, different people like differant games, therefore, many people clearly do enjoy mmo's without a doubt. And therefore if you do enjoy them there in no way a waste of time.