(MMO) What Is a Guild?

It's always a matter of perspective, and I'm curious about those other than my own...

Personally, the guilds I'm a part of sort of make the game at this point. I've seen just shy of three (out of the four) campaigns though in Guild Wars. In World of Warcraft, I've leveled two characters fully to 80. Neither of those feats means having done all the soloable content of the games, but enough that I don't feel compelled to do much more. So in GW, I'm really only on for "guild night" to run around and do whatever. And in WoW, I only bother doing things on my own a couple times a week, maybe, connecting more in the hopes of doing something with guildmates. Being able to play with people I at least sort of know is what makes both games worth playing at this point.

But sometimes, I find I'm just a little jealous and put off by guildmates who are less fettered. Our WoW guild leader puts in some time with a Horde guild that is farther along than we are. Twice this week, I've seen WoW guildies doing (and thus getting saved to) raid content without the guild. People do things without me in GW all the time. I guess I envy their greater interest or tolerances, or whatever it is that allows them to get more out of the game than I. And sometimes I even feel... hurt at the exclusion. I guess it's unavoidable. But I wonder why - if someone pugs more than run with guildies and they get themselves saved to instances that the guild may want to do - some people are even part of the guild. Is being a friend of one member reason enough when you're not really playing with the guild?

Guilds also offer a support structure. Someone to advise, or help, or gift is usually at hand. The outpouring to help get 's character back on her feet (paws?) just about brought tears of joy and pride to my eyes (even if it proved mostly redundant a couple days later). Yet I'm also a little apalled at some expressions of entitlement I've seen, where in-game financial/etc. support is assumed even to the extent of being argued in some was as a game mechanic.

Eh, I suppose with any "family" or social group, there's ups and downs. Does anyone else have any particular insights?

Comments

  1. tashiroJanuary 28, 2010 at 8:42 AM

    I see a guild as a collection of friends who are there to enjoy each other's company, and to help one another out. A group you can rely on to give a hand, or to help you with tough parts of the campaign, or to help you get set up and get things done. And yeah, the help your WoW guild gave Foxwing is just awesome.

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  2. kyn_elwynnJanuary 28, 2010 at 11:48 AM

    I put together the Knights knowing full well the roster would initially be my friends from on-line and iRL. I recruited in those who were willing from the on-line venues I had available (the MUCKs and WoW guildies from the one that just fell apart) and put things together. Years later (Yup, it's been a few) I find myself in the position of being the head of a guild that includes friends, family, family of friends, co-workers of friends and friends of friends. Out of all of those, I don't like the friend of friends who think they deserve anything 'for free' just for being in a guild, and don't care when those fringers go out to do their own thing. Just tells me the attitude they have is themselves first and the guild second. Not surprised. In WoW with the new Dungeon system and the amazing level of rewards for doing pick-up groups, it gives people who don't have enough guildies on at the time they are to do something and get good rewards for it. Often I'll see a poke in guild chat, "Hey, anyone want to run a random heroic?" As for the Horde guild reasoning? Well, it gives me contact with the friend who didn't want to stay with the Knights and a solid group to experience the content with, knowledge I take back with me to my guild and can apply. Also, I'm a bit of an altaholic. Where you talk about your two 80's (and I wonder which two of the three you have you think about) I have six at 80 already. You and I differ in what we get out of the game, including our views on guilds. Summation, guilds are a collection of people you know well and can work with, you hold the same opinion in that regard, but also seem to believe guilds should do more stuff together and less independently.

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  3. marinredwolfJanuary 28, 2010 at 12:32 PM

    I've leveled two characters fully to 80. I don't count Death Knights. They skip too much by starting at level 55. ;)

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