MMORPG If you recognize the title of this post, I'm talking to you.

How important is the "game", as opposed to the "community"? Or, another way to put it, is this: Isn't your social interaction with other players just (or more) important than the game?

I recently saw someone playing UO, and it looked like watching paint dry. I then realized that many of the players on that server were actively involved with bulletin boards associated with the server. It seemed to me that the "game" was merely an excuse to interact with real people via the Internet.

This was my conclusion with UO. Is it the same with WoW, or is WoW more about the game, than the socializing. Help me out, here, people. Just trying to understand the appeal. Personally, I've never played a MMORPG. (I am familar with 3D multiplayer action games, such as MoH and CoD, in which the game is essentially all-consuming, and there is not time for chit-chat or socializing. Action drives the game, not social interaction.) Drop me a line with your thoughts, if you get a chance.