>>1409635Lack of time wasters is not a bad thing, see FFXI which is full of them. As for WoW, its the fangirlism that surrounds it and Blizzard. WoW could have been a steaming pile of shit (Not to say it isn't) and would still have been a popular MMO, even then barely damaging the popularity juggernaut that is Blizzard.
Take the most average game you can think of, and Blizzard-ify it. If the latest Turok title was instead released with a planet full of Zerg and the same phoned-in voice acting and weak script and gameplay, it would still be top-ten for sales in it's year. Never give credit to good game design what is actually wrought with advertising and devout (read: fanboi) playerbase.