This was achingly familiar

This article from Wired on WoW really hit home for me. People who haven't MMORPG'd are amazed at the lengths went to acquire items when I was playing Everquest. One thing that's hard to get people to understand is how relaxing it was to grind out xp and items. Sure the teamwork, exploration, "danger", and item collection all had their own charms and fit into the puzzle that is the success of online worlds, but the most satisfying part was the grinding. In this article the author really puts his finger on why it works. It makes me want to go back to playing. Check it out.