I roleplay in MMORPGs because I am a big, stinking nerd—I've written about the joy of such activities on this website before. But in case you're uninitiated, here's how it works: You and a group of your mates spend time "in character", roleplaying as one might at your average D&D table. Just swap out a defined ruleset for the background dressing of an MMO, and you get the general jist.
In Final Fantasy 14, I've easily spent several hundred of my 5,000 hours (don't look at me) milling about and telling stories with my friends—as do many others. This is a game bumping at all points with activity, everything from high-stakes plots to cosy cafes and… yes, nightclubs. But that's like its own subculture.
