Food for thought

I play MMORPG's and I hate the farming aspect, the cheating aspect, the completely unbalanced aspect. But at the same time, I choose to play them. Its just something you have to deal with when playing them.

How to fix it? Well, not for a perfect example, Guild Wars. Now, dont get me wrong, there are still farmers, there are still people who find ways to cheat. But I didnt hear about it as much, AND... there was/is really no point in cheating on Guild Wars. You can get the max level in a short time, there is storyline to follow, side quests to complete, and best of all... its FREE. Thats the key element I think. If someone is playing a game thats free every month, they are less likely to want to pay for more items. And, the items in Guild Wars arent really all that hard to get. Sure you can get some items that are super rare and have good stats, ect. But for the most part, they arent going to take you months or even years to get. The hardest to get item might take what, a month of dedicated playing? Sure Guild Wars isnt a "MMORPG", its instance based... But its a good example of a decent free game that seems to have a semi balanced economy.

If your getting a game for free, there is less chance that people will need/want to pay for better gear/items. Not saying that it eliminates it, but it greatly reduces it.

But thats just my thoughts.