I tend to like a medium amount of focus. It's fun to roleplay as a character and do things that are somewhat within reason. Too wide of a focus and things get a little too abstract. Too narrow and it can feel too limiting. LoD I'm not picky about - it's nice to have some toys from the GM to play with but ultimately as a player I'm sort of keeping my own track as well.
Seems like the general case that most RTDs / SGs end without an official ending. I actually tried a game where I had a set amount of turns before the game would forcibly end (it was supposed to last 13 turns I believe) but interest was lost even before it got there lol. I think it can be an interesting idea to try to force a conclusion though, not enough of these things reach an official end!
On the topic of monetization, I wish it were possible for forum games to be a viable business haha. I'm not sure if it can be atm. But if it did happen, I think the best way is for players and GMs to both be getting credit, ideally by a paying audience. I feel that players can put in an amazing amount into a game, so the idea of players paying a GM seems unbalanced to me. Just the two cents I've thought about on this topic. If the game is interesting enough for people to want to spectate in some way, I think such a thing is possible. Forum games have incredible potential to create stories and games beyond what other mediums can offer, I would love to see it grow as a potential industry.