@galactic-geek Oh my god. You are arguing with me when I agree with you.
I'm not saying people should play for the number grind. But when meeting other players for the first time, one the ways you get to know them is to discuss their levels, where they are on their progression, etc.
It's a just quick stat that tells you how much experience someone has, just like meters sailed or islands visited. It contributes nothing to the game play, but is an interesting (fun, even) stat to share.
Incidentally I hate the "prestige" system (i.e. go back to zero and do it all over again, but you get this really COOL cosmetic!!!!). I've always thought that was a cheap way to continue gameplay in other games (Titanfall, CoD, Death by Daylight, whatever).
The reasoning that every other game has a cap, so this one should to doesn't make any sense. This should be a simple algorithmic curve, it's not like it's something a computer can't possibly, you know, compute.