A grind does not feel like a grind if the gameplay mechanics themselves are just plain fun. Borderlands is fun because you’re actually doing stuff, running around, shooting things, aiming, driving vehicles, all viscerally exciting activities that suck you in and keep you entertained. No matter the end goal, you’re always doing something explosive and attention-demanding.

MMO’s on the other hand, don’t always ask this. You’re frequently just clicking the same buttons over and over again and most of the enemies just require you to memorize patterns and spell rotations. There’s little to no AI, meaning at some point, the realization that you are in a very meticulously constructed grind machine comes to light. I can play the same level of Halo over and over and still find the enemy reacting in interesting ways. In turn, I feel more immersed. I can run the same dungeon twice in WoW and be bored out of my mind. I know the fights. I know what the enemies will do and I know that if even if I kill all this guys friends at least fifty yards away while he’s looking right at us, he won’t attack for some strange reason.

MMO’s have always been and continue to be too mechanical and too predictable in their design, only being saved by their ability to create a sense of vastness and socialization. I’m happy to see more mmofps emerging on the scene. Someone needs to shake things up and move us away from the point and click snorefest.