MMO’s are Anti-Social?

I was pondering the LFG and LFR functions in some of the MMOs and I had the thought how those functions look better on paper than they actually are. The idea behind both of them seems sound enough but once deployed I think they have an undesirable effect on a majority of players. Now I know I tend to think of things differently than the normal Joe or Jane so I could be way out in left field on this one.

It is my humble opinion that the LFG and LFR systems create an increase in player isolation instead of the desired increase in player socialization. I know it’s a bit out there but bear with me on this one. Hopefully before I get too off the mark I will be able to make something of a point.

The basic premise of LFG/LFR is to exponentially increase the number of potential group mates for either setting (instance/raid). With the pool of potential party members being widened by the tool, the average player should now have more access to content. Also with the player being exposed to other players beyond the limits of their chosen server, the social aspect of the game should also increase.

All of this sounds really good but what is the reality? At least for me, the LFG tool only allowed me access to the content. Socially I went in the exact opposite direction. In nearly every group I ran with there was very minor social interaction. Almost every run I participated in using the tool turned out to be nothing more than a speed run. There wasn’t time for chatter or exploration; only pull after mind numbing pull with strangers. Get in and get out seemed to be the mantra of every group.

Now I don’t claim to be a social butterfly and I am not expecting for the LFG/LFR tool to change that. But I can tell you that it was really easy to think and act like the others in the group were nothing more than NPCs that allowed me to see the content. The reason I bring this up, I was the about the same thing for them.
With all of that said, here is where things kind of get weird. In the last expansion of WoW Blizzard pretty much forced players into guilds (socialization). They also made it where the bigger the guild the better for everyone involved. On the surface this looks like a move toward a more social game. In reality bigger guilds can lead to even more player isolation!

If we add all of this up what we get is a game design (not only WOW) that appears very social in practice however it isn’t. With LFG/LFR it is now possible to be in a huge guild where you never need to be social with anyone and you can still see the majority of the content. Is it me or does LFG/LFR allow players to turn the MMORPG of their choice into a single player game?

As far as I am concerned this kind of takes the wind out of the “social game” sails. I think I will go on record and say that smaller guilds and a smaller pool of players makes for a more social game.