I think players just want different games and ‘on-rails’ games like WoW and Everquest type grindgames simply lost their appeal. I think many players have matured and are looking for a better game now, which gives them more freedom. I think people really want to make a difference in the world. They might actually want an UO style sandbox game, but with an intuitive interface. There’s a reason why Minecraft was so popular, it fit right into a niche of stuff that people wanted but couldn’t have before.

Shakkara, stratics
http://goo.gl/EehKQP