The lvl grind is what makes most ppl quit games, be it via a built-in bot or or you having to do it all yourself. mainly 'cause in order to get that cool looking outfit or to
afford a certain mount, u need to be a high lvl which kind of takes the fun out of things. but yea, i agree: leveling is something the MMOs should start discarding these days
and instead focus on the social aspect more... so i guess the answer to your last question would be "yes! they're on to something good actually".
While 1000 variations of "kill 10 rats, gather 6 mushrooms" are easier to create than real content, it's also easier for competitors too. What this also allows for is creating
games with more social mechanics. I personally love it when a game requires aiming, but when players are more equal in power, you can also make social skills, like the creation
of alliances, a larger part of gameplay. This helps to eliminate some of the power play seen in purely skill based games (like many FPS and RTS games) that make others avoid
