Great article Kevin.

I am at a fork in my MMO life. After being a 'hardcore' player in MMO's, most recently WoW, I was forced to quit for college as I knew it was one or the other. Now that I have graduated, I am looking at getting back into an MMO, but my mindset is still set on 'hardcore', but I'm not sure my life now can fit it in. Slowly I am realizing that I may not have to be hardcore in order to enjoy a game, a thought just a few years ago that would not have entered my realm of thought.

I know that if I am to enter a MMO with a play style between casual and hardcore, the group of friends will be the only reason it would work. You are lucky you have found such a great group of friends with a like mindset, that is the key IMO.