I also think that GVG should have been a separate game, played on a separate servor.
I have found my attempt to play the game has been seriously affected by GVG. I have been playing Forge of Empires, with enjoyment, for a year now. Supposedly it would be voluntary whether or not to participate in GVG, but it is penalizing everyone, especially players who are not participating in it. GVG has caused serious disruptions to everyone playing the game. First, my GBs boosts were slashed down to nothing. While I do not raid neighbors, this has made conquering any sectors on the Continental map impossible, since the boosts that the AI troops have has remained at the "before GVG", level while my military boosts have been slashed to less than half of what they were. Moreover, plundering is way, way up, mostly because players are looking for more goods for GVG. With all my defense boosts cut to less than half of what they were, my cities can no longer defend themselves. It is also no point in working and spending forge points to level up my GB's because the designers have not substantially reduced the amount of forge points required for each level. Would you spend 210 forge points to get a mere 3% boost? Most of my GBs are now no longer worth the space they take up. Nor is there any point to building any more GBs, for the same reason. I cannot see how the designers idea of vouchers and cap removal will help any of that.
Another way that the general game is being ruined is how GVG has affected the goods trading market. With a lot of players pouring gigantic amount of goods into GVG, it seems that no one is willing to trade for anything else anymore. In my guild and neighborhood, our once large and robust trading market has dwindled to a fraction of its previous size. If you are still playing the game, you are still going to need goods for the Tech Tree and to get territory on the Continental Map, but if you cannot produce those goods yourself, it is getting harder and harder to get them. So advancing in the game is becoming very difficult.
These are prime examples of how the game is being disrupted by GVG. If you are not interested in GVG, you are getting penalized for it just the same.
I feel that the game is being ruined for many players because of GVG. I cannot say if the designers did not realize the havoc that would be caused by GVG, or simply did not care.