Addictive, Challenging Gameplay

I've been playing this game now for about a year and 4 months. As a gamer since childhood, I can honestly say that very few games have kept me engaged so long.

This is a game that entertains many age groups. I have personally interacted with people ages 10-50 in this game. Do not be quick to assume this is a young child's game, as the majority of the users seem to be 16-30 years. I support the publisher's recommendation that this game be purchased for teens and up, as young players may have considerable difficulty functioning in this challenging game.

The success of your character in this game is highly dependent on your ability to interact with the other players. Just about every storyline quest or mission, gear or item, or battle needs six or more other people to cooperate as a unit. For end-game, experienced, level-capped players, certain activities may require as many as 36 or more players to act cooperatively to achieve their goal. This is not a game for those who like to "solo".

Gamers are world-wide, making this a very international game. This provides much opportunity to learn about other cultures and an auto-translate feature allows players of different languages to communicate many common game terms and therefore work together. However, this diversity can also lead to obvious racism by some players though this is usually not a big factor in regular gameplay.

Buy this game if:

You are looking for a new activity that will keep you occupied for months if not years. There is always a new job to level, a new monster to fight, a new piece of gear, a new mission, a new place to explore, etc. Square Enix updates the game regularly to keep even the most seasoned players busy.

This game does require a subscription fee, and you may find yourself buying more than one character if you become very involved. Most gamers have extra characters called "mules" that simply hold items and money for their main character. So do consider the monthly cost.

Buy this game if you enjoy working very long and hard to achieve goals in a game. I must admit finally accomplishing some things in this game after months of effort is very satisfying and rewarding. Gameplay varies between highly exciting and very slow-paced depending on your character's activity. Sometimes, you need to level your character, and can "look for party members" for hours, literally doing nothing.

Beware:

Real money trade frustrations. People actually make it their real-life job to play this game. They excessively camp the special monster camps, sell the items that drop in game, then sell the game money for real money. This behavior was simply out of control and destroying the economy of the game this last year. New players may find entry into the marketplace very steep and items difficult to afford. Even experienced players find money a concern in game, and may have to devote days of effort to simply gathering enough money to support their character's needs and gear wants. This aspect of the game has proven the worst for me personally, because no one likes to feel like the town's charity case.

In closing, despite the frustrations and in-depth challenge, I keep coming back for more. This game is not so much a game choice as a life-style choice. Laughable, but this game is definitely not for the casual player; be prepared to learn a lot of in-game behaviors that help to define the culture of this game. Many end-game characters are highly skilled and expect a great deal of competency out of fellow players, which goes back to making this game more suitable for mature players than not. I've met some wonderful people through this game, and it's been a budget-conscious activity that my husband and I can enjoy together while money's tight. Assuming you play as often as most players do (probably around 20 hours a week!), you cannot beat the entertainment/hr cost.