Like I said, philisophical. The industry has not been around long enough for people to have the ability to quantify what "Works" and "Does not work".
It's like government. We can argue that a Democracy is the best form of Government, but we can also agree that the longest surviving civilizations did not use Democracy as their form of Government. Also, no Democracy from the past has endured. They all eventually failed. This also applied for communism, Feudalism, theocracy, etc.
So to say we "Know" what works and doesn't work is ignorant.
That being said, I can not back my claims. Although, there are some facts that coincide with open world, contested content.
1) Drama. It causes a lot of drama, and people flock to it. Negative and positive emotions create social interaction. This interaction builds relationships, and acts as a motivator for individuals to keep playing.
2)Competition. Competition is genetic. Most organisms on Earth compete. Whether it be for food, a mate, anything. Competition is part of the game. Mix in the drama and it becomes very compelling.
3) Social interaction. Having open world, non-instanced zones forces people to solve dynamic social problems in game. By doing this, friendships, or enemies are made. Whether it be helping people out, or seeking revenge...either of these things are possible in EQ.
4) Time. I am sure you have heard the phrase, "Time is Money". Instancing cuts down on the time it takes to complete quests, get gear, etc. It essentially dumbs a game down. No matter how "Dynamic" you make it, having the first 3 factors I mentioned above adds VALUE to your character. The more time you put into something, the more valuable it becomes.
These are just my thoughts. I could be wrong, or right.
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