"Competition", "Skill", Cognitive Dissonance, and You.

[Nexii]

People don't play primarily for the skill or challenge involved. Maybe those that don't get social interaction like OP. Most people play to have fun with their friends and have a sense of progression. Nothing more really.

Re: WOW vs EQ, WOW was the better game in terms of mechanics and depth. But at the same time, WOW stripped out too much of the aspects that led to social interaction, leaving it about as fun as EQ overall. I've raided both about equally over the years.