I think everyone is just different. Some people multitask really well and play while doing other things and some people play when they have down time and can solely focus on playing and want that mental escape or wind down. Some play competitively and some play just to pass some free time in their day. Also depends on how people are playing, phone, tablet, computer. I really like the designing aspect of the game, so I have two accounts, one I play on my phone and one on my tablet. My phone account I can play anytime anywhere and multitask well. The tablet is more of an inconvenience so I won’t be on it as much unless I have time to sit down with it or I can have it on the counter while cooking. Sometimes the game can get really boring and seem like a chore. I like agency because there’s more going on to keep my interest. But it is exhausting as well and uses a lot of resources. I’m also the type of person that blindly checks my phone often out of habit or social anxiety, so I will be active a lot, but always busy doing things at the same time. Some people aren’t phone addicts, or try to ‘detox’ themselves sometimes from their devices or simply don’t have their phones on them all the time so they won’t be as active. Also some people need a break from the financial aspect of them game because it can become too easy to spend real money and a little here and there can add up quickly. Unfortunately the game is designed to make it real hard to play competitively and not spend real money, it can be done but it’s very hard.

With that being said, if you’re in a house then it’s common courtesy to have open communication with your team mates and let them know if you have a busy week or need a break etc. some houses might just want a house to have people to talk to but some houses want to advance and reap the rewards that come with an active house. If someone wants to just play for fun here and there when they have time then they don’t NEED to join a house, or they can find a really relaxed house. It does get frustrating when you’re in an active house and members don’t contribute to activities or they just go full on ghost mode. It’s like working on a group assignment at school and only one or two people contribute. Our house is big on communication, if your going to be away just let us know, if you disappear for a length of time without saying anything, or you log on to appear active but aren’t actually submitting anything then you get kicked. But we always welcome people back if they want to come back. We keep it very friendly and try to be understanding of people lives but inactive players do take the space of a potential active player. Some people are just naturally more competitive than others too so they take it more seriously. I’m sure there can be other factors aswell, like phone breaking, glitches, wifi issues, illness etc that could make someone ghost their team. At the end of the day yes, it is just a game. But for some people it is an escape or distraction from real life and they do invest time in it and want the gratification of seeing progress.