So, after getting into WoW in a lot of ways, I can say that it has many great aspects. Even though I count myself as a player, I remain highly critical/skeptical of many things, however.

I read this article a long time ago, but it seems appropriate: 10 Ways Online Gaming Will Change the Future

Foremost amongst these aspects for me has been the ability to play with existing friends and make new friends. This is simply not possible in single player games (well, through game and genre specific forums, but not going there at the moment.) It comes with some catches, though.

Playing games is good, and friends are good, so why not mix the two? When it's something like a game that has quick matches, it isn't such an issue. But when in game success in an MMO hinges upon friends' participation, it becomes a social obligation.

For instance, a way that WoW encourages people to bring their friends into the game is a promotion called "Recruit A Friend". If someone mentions your account when they make theirs, they get a reward such as a mount (some people collect all kinds of mounts), and you both get triple experience when you quest and run dungeons together. (Quests are acquired through NPCs around the area and are visible on your map, dungeon groups are formed through a queue of people signing up for a dungeon. Once the group is full, the dungeon initiates). I've been using this promotion since I've started playing, and it provides a lot of incentive. Currently my character is only level 81 out of 90, however, so it still takes awhile to get up there, just to provide some reference.

I really don't know enough about the actual details of the game to fully detail how much friends are required to do specific things, but to far, it seems to be to a large degree.

WoW is already pretty infamous for its time devouring qualities already, to the point of mentioning online gaming in everyday conversation is seen as strange by many.

When people play mulitplayer games, I would like to see them come together for fun and socialization, not just because the game mandates it. When you make a new character on a server, you will most likely be barraged with guild invites. Guilds provide perks to players (such as bonus XP), and players are needed by guilds to reach specific goals. This can be a good way to meet some new people, but at its worse, its just incorporating you into the game as a number. I have experience with this myself, in Pardus, to a lesser degree. Either way, though, the guild will probably have at least a small group of friends who communicate constantly with each other.

To me, interacting with people online in a fun setting, such as a game, is fantastic. There are so many opportunities to broaden your horizons and open your mind to new ways of thinking. I just don't think that in game social obligation gets in the way.