This analogy falls apart because it is predicated on the assumption that the game isn't fun; if you aren't having fun you aren't going to suddenly start having fun because Emet-Selch is snarking at you about how he doesn't consider you a person. FFXIV is an excellent game, and it also is a game that tells you what it is going to be pretty accurately within the first 15 levels or so. Heck, I don't agree with the premise of "the story is bad in ARR" which is why I chose my words very specifically to avoid that.
Oh, don't get me wrong; even if I was less invested in what ultimately happens to most of the characters in ARR, I still loved ARR well enough to keep playing nonstop. I might not have had strong opinions on Urianger or Y'shtola, but I sure loved the world that was being set up, was curious about what the Ascians were trying to accomplish, loved every little nugget we got about regions like Doma and Ishgard, and spent lots of time speculating on the roleplaying forums about what little lore details could potentially mean. (All of our speculation was wrong, but that was part of the fun.)
Really, what's changed is just that now I'm as invested in the characters as I am in the world and have very strong opinions about the characters. I've only had Zero for one patch, but if anything happens to her I will riot.