If you have been following me for a while you probably recall that I used to go on and on and on about how great Guild Wars 2 is compared to other MMO's. I still believe this to be true, especially for casual players like myself.
I'm old enough that I don't easily become addicted to a game because but young enough that I am still interested in them. I think that a very large part of the video game demographic is in the same category as I am: We like them, but they are not what our entire life is all about. I almost never watch Twitch gaming videos and most of my life revolves around not playing video games. I do, however, still really enjoy them.
This is where MMO's can be a bit tricky. The entire system is built around addiction because whether you play the game or not, you are going to be charged for them.
There is something really exciting about teaming up with a big group of people and going on quests (although the people in the elite category are a pain because they take the game entirely too seriously IMO) and GW2 "group-finding" system makes this even easier.
Now onto why this game is perfect for a casual gamer like me: There is no monthly subscription. If you walk away one day and come back months later, all your stuff is exactly where you left it and although you might have to refresh your knowledge on the controls, this all comes back pretty quickly.
Plus, if you spent a long time away (I once left and came back a year later) you probably missed a lot and there will be tons to explore that you have never seen. I once returned only to find that everyone had gliders now and this was a real game changer because previously you just fell to your death when you made the wrong steps.
When I was playing Dark Age of Camelot and Anarchy Online there was always this feeling of "I gotta get my money's worth!" because you were going to be charged $20 a month (or thereabouts) whether your played the game or not. There were many free-to-play games out there but for the most part they kind of sucked or had necessary micro-transactions that kind of negated the whole notion of it being free-to-play. Guild Wars 2 is the ONLY MMO that I have found that charges no monthly fee and all the stuff you can buy with cash is completely optional and mostly aesthetic.
A new "Living World" feature was released a few days ago and it encouraged me to log in after nearly 4 months of inactivity... How much did I have to pay to take part in the new story? Nada. You never will have to pay for any of it either.
Any MMO eventually becomes a grind no matter how much the developers try to make it not so. How can you make a game that never ends be anything but? I just think that GW2 has done a fantastic job creating a game for people like me that are not going to make their life all about a game. I can come and go as I please and that really appeals to me. For anyone out there that doesn't like paying monthly subs, but also enjoys MMO's - GW2 is going to be tough to beat.