Adventures in WoW
Awhile ago, I grew disappointed with my experiences playing World of Warcraft.
So I tried to figure out exactly what was lost or different. Was it the gaming experience itself? I tried lower level WoW play and single-player video games, but they were far less engrossing. Was it the sense of community? I tried a Second Life community and found myself better immersed but lacking any sense of motivation there. Was it the simple combination of the two? I tried online ARGs (alternate reality games) and found myself only interested in being a creator, not a player. Yet ARG creation would require more time than I have to spare.
So I started reading about various aspects of MMORPGs, and that took me into social theory within media studies and in gaming circles. The conclusion I reached was that my interest lies in learning how to help cooperative virtual communities thrive over time. As a species, we must learn to overcome roadblocks like creating accountability in anonymous communities, relaying involuntary language cues over the internet, overcoming cultural differences when players span continents, and so forth. Future generations will likely rely on our solutions.
It wasn't so much that I'd been playing the wrong game. I had been taking it largely at face value. Instead, I should have been taking a far more meta approach to the situation.
So our guild was (is) a good one, but not without its baggage. Our previous guild leader left and gave Peter the leadership role. Peter is a good guy and an excellent player with a knack for leading groups of people through challenges. But he became perhaps a bit overconfident and stopped listening as carefully to advice from me and others about handling social issues. No doubt this was partly because he was busy, with too few willing to help with the necessary work. But it made a crucial difference to me, because I soon felt out of the loop and lost.
Meanwhile, conflict arose between Peter and a band of agitators who cost our first guildmaster his patience twice over. Finding Peter and myself at a weak pass during a lull in progression, they attempted mutiny to take over the guild. When denied the pleasure, they took as many players as possible on their way out. I don't need more research to guess how they took so many. In retrospect, I can see months of activity leading up to what occurred. It was no accident.
Our guild would collapse if we waited for the return of those who are unlikely to remain happy (or perhaps even welcome) in the splinter guild that was formed. The choice ahead is to move on through significant rebuilding or give up entirely. So we're recruiting new members of quality somewhat quickly, with the clock ticking on our guild's future viability.
These days I'm treating the guild very much as if it's my own, rather than deferring to Peter and accepting the status quo. He's an incredible raid leader and advisor to our players, but the soft social stuff that naturally occurs behind the scenes isn't his interest. It's mine. And because the two sides aren't really discrete from one another, we're both only half of a good guild leader. Together we have a shot at cracking a few nuts and relaying our results.
As much as I hated the drama of the attempted mutiny and its effect on people, I'm a little glad it happened. Digging for answers about what happened and why taught me alot about myself. Clearing the air socially created an opening for positive change. Reengaging with the guild and making myself accountable has made all the difference in my happiness. Whether things ultimately work out now or not, I understand why it's worth trying.
I'm extending an invitation to those reading who would like to join me and Peter in World of Warcraft on the server Ysera. Transferred Alliance characters and newbies alike are welcome. If you've made it as far as reading this paragraph, I suspect we'll be able to work together.
Our guild's web address is prime.guildlaunch.com.
So I tried to figure out exactly what was lost or different. Was it the gaming experience itself? I tried lower level WoW play and single-player video games, but they were far less engrossing. Was it the sense of community? I tried a Second Life community and found myself better immersed but lacking any sense of motivation there. Was it the simple combination of the two? I tried online ARGs (alternate reality games) and found myself only interested in being a creator, not a player. Yet ARG creation would require more time than I have to spare.
So I started reading about various aspects of MMORPGs, and that took me into social theory within media studies and in gaming circles. The conclusion I reached was that my interest lies in learning how to help cooperative virtual communities thrive over time. As a species, we must learn to overcome roadblocks like creating accountability in anonymous communities, relaying involuntary language cues over the internet, overcoming cultural differences when players span continents, and so forth. Future generations will likely rely on our solutions.
It wasn't so much that I'd been playing the wrong game. I had been taking it largely at face value. Instead, I should have been taking a far more meta approach to the situation.
So our guild was (is) a good one, but not without its baggage. Our previous guild leader left and gave Peter the leadership role. Peter is a good guy and an excellent player with a knack for leading groups of people through challenges. But he became perhaps a bit overconfident and stopped listening as carefully to advice from me and others about handling social issues. No doubt this was partly because he was busy, with too few willing to help with the necessary work. But it made a crucial difference to me, because I soon felt out of the loop and lost.
Meanwhile, conflict arose between Peter and a band of agitators who cost our first guildmaster his patience twice over. Finding Peter and myself at a weak pass during a lull in progression, they attempted mutiny to take over the guild. When denied the pleasure, they took as many players as possible on their way out. I don't need more research to guess how they took so many. In retrospect, I can see months of activity leading up to what occurred. It was no accident.
Our guild would collapse if we waited for the return of those who are unlikely to remain happy (or perhaps even welcome) in the splinter guild that was formed. The choice ahead is to move on through significant rebuilding or give up entirely. So we're recruiting new members of quality somewhat quickly, with the clock ticking on our guild's future viability.
These days I'm treating the guild very much as if it's my own, rather than deferring to Peter and accepting the status quo. He's an incredible raid leader and advisor to our players, but the soft social stuff that naturally occurs behind the scenes isn't his interest. It's mine. And because the two sides aren't really discrete from one another, we're both only half of a good guild leader. Together we have a shot at cracking a few nuts and relaying our results.
As much as I hated the drama of the attempted mutiny and its effect on people, I'm a little glad it happened. Digging for answers about what happened and why taught me alot about myself. Clearing the air socially created an opening for positive change. Reengaging with the guild and making myself accountable has made all the difference in my happiness. Whether things ultimately work out now or not, I understand why it's worth trying.
I'm extending an invitation to those reading who would like to join me and Peter in World of Warcraft on the server Ysera. Transferred Alliance characters and newbies alike are welcome. If you've made it as far as reading this paragraph, I suspect we'll be able to work together.
Our guild's web address is prime.guildlaunch.com.