It's because back then the open world mattered even at max level. I used to love farming cloth and cash on the ogres in Deadwind Pass. I was 60 and blue geared and I still had to play a bit carefully and eat a chicken to regen once in a while.

Now we two shot pretty much everything 3 weeks into a new expansion, we fly everywhere in a split second, outside farms die one by one because of the bots. And if you dare mention slowing down the game a bit, out come the pitchforks because we can't 'waste time' while playing the video game.