The Daily Grind: What's your longest MMO lifespan?

I played EQ2 for almost a year I think.
WoW for about 6-8 months
WAR for about the same
EvE for 6 months

That is about the extent of my subscription based games. When I stop missing logging in for a week or more I know it's time to cancel.

I would love to enjoy an mmo long enough to spend years playing it but I haven't so far. I still look forward to new mmos I'm just realistic about how much time they will entertain me.

I've played Warcraft since release, so about six years now give or take. Before then I played Horizons: Empire of Istaria for about a year. It's still around, although it hasn't aged well.

I've dabbled in other MMOs like LOTRO, AoC and Aion, but nothing's held me beyond a month or so. RIFT is doing the best so far at keeping me playing for six months.

WoW for four years. EQ was about 2 years. No longer than a year on any other.

FFXI I played for about 3 years, WoW I've played off and on since it first came out, since I am really close with a lot of guild mates. Usually like 4 months on, 1 month off type thing. Years worth of playtime for sure though. I loved FFXI as a game, but I love the people I know in WoW the most. In the end, I feel that the people matters the most.

EVE...well, I had an active subscription for nearly a year, which meant I was almost ready to play. But I can't say I was really playing it.

Longest?

~ 3 years with breaks , subbed

I really enjoy and want to play one game for a long time. I really do enjoy it.
BUT
Modern mmorpg market really does NOT encourage it in my opinion.

Modern mmorpg's are made with easy and fast character progression / levelling on rails.
After you get max level which is dumbingly easy , game changes it's character dramatically and you can choose to grind pve instances or grind pvp arena instances.
Which is BORING and does NOT help to be commited to a game for a long time.

Not to mention that nowadays with all microtransaction / freemium / f2p etc emphasis , even if you commit yourself for a long time , there is very big danger that you game end up having many thigns / items in store for real money that will make past /current and future personal commitment matter less.

So that drives me away from beign commited for long as well.

Modern mmorpg's beign 'shallow' , streamlined into one path / way on how can you play it + microtransactions selling cosmetics (which in past showed commitment that you took effort to get them) , xp and other buffs / speeders (which make your past and current commitment look dumb as someone can do it twice as fast if he fork few bucks) , advantages and all other items even if you can get them in game as well ($ more important than gameplay + kinda feeling dumb if you play game for hours/ days or longer to get something you can get in item shop for 10 $) ,etc


So while I really WANT to find a mmorpg to again commit myself for a long time , mmorpg producers does NOT give me an opportunity to do so.

No Swtor with levelling + gear grind / tiers ,etc is NOT a type of game that will keep me commited to play it long.


I am ready to commit myself for a long time as I am tired of playing games for a short time and hopping between them but :

I need in order to do that:

MMORPG that:

1. Give freedom and many ways to play it which all carry simialr significance , to playing as a solo , in guild, as crafter or social player IS similarry rich experience. How to and what I mean?

SWG pre-NGE

2. Game have to be pure P2P , no cash shop AT ALL and have to STAY like it. Slow incorporation of cash shop into it will make me leave it sooner or later. (propably sooner)

3. Game have to be AAA quality. I am too old to play indie games that are unfinished , bugged ,etc. I am ready to pay premium for that though. (expensive box and expansions , higher than normal subscription)


I don't think anyone want to invest serious bucks to make game like that anytime soon , and that mean I won't commit to any mmorpg for a long time.

Not to mention I am tired with similar gear grind and / or f2p games , and currently I am NOT playing any mmorpg.

Tired of bunny hopping between them.

UO for about 5 years

I played M59 (love the image above) for about 2 years.
Then UO for about a year.
Then EQ for 4 years.
But I have had a Wow account since it opened, so 7 years?
I also currently have a COH account for about 4 years.

Since I switched to Mac about 5 years ago, it is a lot easier to stick to the few MMOs that are native to Mac. So I don't hop around as much.

GuildWars - at a little over 4 years.

I'm a serial serial monogamist, Played FFXI for 3 and half years and then WoW for 4 and half. Everything else for at least a year (EQ, Global Agenda, Fallen Earth, etc...)

The only one to make it past the 6-month mark for me was WoW.
Played it from release, had two long breaks, quit for good this summer.
So in total about 4 years of active play.

World of Warcraft for about 2-3 years

WoW on and off for about 4 years.

Star Wars Galaxies for about 6 months

Champions Online for about 5 months

Rift lasted me all of 4 months before I realized it was just wow.

FFXI: Nov 2002 - July 2011.

I've played EQ from 1999-2005
Played both EQ2 and WoW off an on from 2005 since with WoW having a longer sub time because my adult children played ( closer to a year).
Currently playing EQ2x, Lotro, AOC, and various other f2p games due to being disabled and throw cash their way when I want/need something =)

My record goes to WoW at five years. Before that it was held by DAoC at two years and Shadow of Yserbius at two years. Since leaving WoW after Wrath, but before Cataclysm, the only game to go over a year was EVE...and I'm finished with that after about two years.

Right now, I'm MMO free. Not playing anything at all (at least in an MMO). I've dabbled with some of the F2P's but never really got hooked. I'll check back into STO when it goes F2P, and probably give DCUO a try....not expecting to stay in either.

Longest straight was Anarchy Online @ 5 years.

Wow about 6 years, with two breaks and final break in January.

FFXI from 2006 but had 1~1.5 year break

Ultima Online for 8 years.

EQ for about 10 years, plus I still play occasionally.
EQ2 from launch day, but have not played seriously for several years.

Everything else has failed to capture my attention for more than a couple of months.