Ask anyone not intimately familiar with the subject to conjure up an image of, say, your typical World of Warcraft player. Chances are it will not be flattering. Tales of repeatedly killing monster after monster for a virtual carrot has many imagine that those who willingly enter such a cycle to be socially inept man-children unable to live out there. You know, in the real world.
I, as a socially inept man-child unable to live in the real world (I may be exaggerating here, but not by much), resent that. I exhibit the stereotypical traits of a massively multiplayer online game enthusiast, without any of the successes allegedly inherent to this condition (the golden carrot that is great equipment). That is because in order for success to find you in a MMO, you have to... talk to other people. Yes, the one thing most accuse MMO players of being unable to do is the key to success!
Most of the higher-level content in those games must be experienced as a group. Depending on the game, that group can range from five people to more than 40. All of them need to work as a team, performing various tasks in order to (usually) defeat a monster. Trying to go at it alone will, at best, lock you out of the area, or at worst, outright kill your character in one blow. You are essentially forced into interaction with others if you want to get the most out of your game as these encounters and areas tend to be beautifully designed and the most fun you can have either individually or in a group. Naturally, this depends on the person's own preference, but considering most MMOs depend on group content at the level cap, it's safe to say that this is more than just a trend.
What happens, however, if you do not have that social reflex? What happens if you do not work well with others (a liability that is becoming more and more crippling in today's working world, might I add)? You are set aside, your inability to interact in a social manner being that one boss you seem unable to defeat. Note that I am not saying everyone playing these games at the highest possible level is a social butterfly. I am merely saying that they are not as reclusive as most would think.
In many MMOs, it's often the case that you will join a guild (or whatever name the game has for such a group, as they tend to change from game to game) of like-minded individuals. This has many purposes, sometimes granting in-game benefits just for joining, but the main purpose of joining a guild is to have a steady group of players that trust each other and are willing to play the game with each other.
Allow me to relate a personal experience. I have been a member of a few guilds over my MMO playing years, I've never been able to make that connection with other members of those guilds. To me, they were little more than strangers. Because of this, I never interacted with them, often bailing from Ventrilo if none of my offline friends were around, or simply refusing to speak in guild chat. Compare this to my friends' view, which is the standard MMO player's perception : These people are friends. The end result is there : They're still enjoying the game while I am not.
In short, MMOs aren't for losers.
