Most games become plotless because staff are clueless, tools and trust aren't established to empower players to create, and folks get too precious about fucking digital avatars. If on a game you can't get in an actual fucking plot that has good risk & reward within the first month, move the fuck on; it's a dying (or dead) game and you're not in the clique.
And by plots, I don't mean fires in the city. Jeebus.