"A mmorpg is about having fun and experiencing the story, not having something somebody else doesn't have. People may envy items or something somebody else has, but they couldn't care less who has it; they just know thye don't have it yet and they will get it someday."

Man, with all due respect, you are completely off base here. The entire MMORPG genre (read: EQ, EVE, DAoC, etc) is built around putting as much time as possible into the game, and obtaining rewards to compensate. Most people like to play all different kinds of games; that's fine. However, a certain group of people, such as myself, enjoy focusing on one or two particular games, and those games alone. And, for 2 decades, the MMORPG genre has provided a niche for just those people.

World of Warcraft, and most MMOs in general, are not hard in the sense that you need to be keeping track of the cool-downs and priorities of 20-30 different spells or abilities, or you need pinpoint accuracy with a curser. No, the main difficulty comes from time required, the massive time sink itself being a pillar of the industry. So, with time required as the main difficulty, be it wiping on a boss or grinding rep, players who put more time in naturally expect more rewards. However, rewards don't have to be loot; a reward could be a server-wide message letting everyone know that they were the first warrior to 80, or the satisfaction of knowing that they have downed a boss no one else has even seen.

Now, you may see this as 'e-peen rubbing', or something that hardcore players shouldn't see as a reward. However, these are things that are pursued by the elite, and I, for one, don't think it is something to be ashamed of. Again, in an industry that has previously been based on time put in to the game, it is only natural to want to be the best. And, like a world rank on Company of Heroes, or a % completed on Guitar Hero, the average iLvl of your gear, or how far you have progressed are factors hard-core players can use to compare themselves to, and show themselves they are better than, the other players who play the game.

Naturally now, you can see how the Hardcore players get upset when 'casuals' demand content be nerfed so they can complete it. Up until wow, and some may argue even BC, MMORPG's have NOT been for casual, part-time players. People played them seriously and heavily. More than that; they considered them a hobby. Now, consider that arguably the best MMORPG of all time has come out and captivated millions. Suddenly, casual players, the complete opposite crowd for who MMORPG's are for, start crowding the market, and demand the whole nature of the genre be changed just for them. The Hardcore, the old players, the ones who discovered WoW in the first place and made it what it is today, feel rejected and unwanted, simply because the casual masses pay more.

And please, please don't say "Hard modes are still there for the hardcores!" Hard modes are a pitiful excuse for content, especially when players care more for rewards, and not the progression itself (NOT that there is anything wrong with that).