I don't consider myself passionate about UO. It's a game I play and I spend enough time on it that I attempt to influence what happens in it, in whatever small way I can without going nuts.
As to encouraging people to stay? No. Why should I? It's a game. If someone wants to stop playing Chess I'm not going to try to convince them otherwise.
I respond so flippantly usually because a good number of the people who leave do so in a manner that suggests the rest of us should care. Also, people who leave and who post about it have a habit of leaving over a reason I find stupid. Doesn't make it stupid in objective terms, mind you, just a reason I personally find stupid. (This is a distinction I feel most U-Hallers would benefit from recognizing in their own posts. And most don't. So far, your posts on this thread are excellent examples.)
I left UO for awhile some years back. I posted on message boards for the shard I played on then (Europa), but I did not arrogantly assume that my leaving would be of general interest.
If I ever leave again and post on U-Hall about it, feel free to point out the irony; it'd certainly deserve the remark!
-Galen's player
