[quote name='Caldenfor' timestamp='1355890013' post='5012320']
It doesn't have to be that way. MMORPGs can have different styles of play without resorting to quest/mob grinds. Surely, players will do repetitive tasks, but that is up to them. If it is forced, there is something wrong.

I'm not saying that it has to be that way, but that's a cornerstone mechanic in the most popular MMO approaches. When an enormous portion of the game is based around repetitive spreadsheet action, a lot of players *will* be forced to do it regardless of whether or not different activities are available. It's not just quest/mob grinds either, there's plenty of crafting grinds and trading grinds and breeding grinds and on and on and on.

And it's a very rare MMO idea post I see that doesn't seem to be overwhelmingly influenced by existing games with the above mentioned design.
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Sorry, didn't mean the statement to insinuate such a thing.

Yes, it is common place in most MMORPGs, but designers, if they are worth their salt, should see these issues. Most don't seem to care about solving the problems as they aren't large enough deterrent to play and they tend to keep players playing without having to create new content.

Everything can be a grind and the funny thing is players tend to place the grind upon themselves. I remember trying to get a black mare in UO for quite some time. I then hunted a variety of Cu Sidhes when I played during that expansion to sell to other players, always on the prowl for superior stats/colors for myself.

Players turn almost any activity into a grind. If they want to eliminate the grind, there needs to be enough variety in activities for players to take part in that they never feel the grind. Even then, players will have favored activities/desirables that tend towards grinding just because they WANT it. At that point it becomes the player's fault, not the game.

This may be a warped impression. I work in the industry, hell, my company even makes MMORPGs, and yet, forums is where I hear the most about them...

That said though, MMORPG are, by nature, much more social than single player experiences. It is agreeable that you might wish to discuss with a friend about a game you've played, but, single player experiences are much more intimate. The big advantage of MMOs is that, as you relate your 'story' (a play experience) you're more likely to be discussing with someone that has shared this story as well, which makes it more relevant.
A lot of single-player related conversations are very one-sided, arousing sometimes curiosity, but with little grounds to trully evolve to the next level: the other person either has no experience of the game, or has a much different 'story'. MMOs allow to share this vision in a number of ways. That may be why you feel like you are seeing more discussions about them, but that certainly won't be from me ;)

CHECK THIS.

MMOs started out in academia as a toy for growing the internet. They wanted to do new things with networking, so naturally games sprung up as a way to quickly generate new reasons to build programs that utilized the internet, so they would have something fun to build upon the proto internet, right?

MMOs moved to the social scene, giving certain people a whole new experience. Revolutionary, right?

Finally, MMOs got commercialized and as it turns out can be made to make fat stacks of cash.

Now think about how perfect of a set up that is to generate discussion on the topic.