BYOSP
Bring Your Own Static Party..
So I was questing in Nagrand today when a listener whispered me to give me an update on his wow status. He was having a pretty hard time because he's put a lot of effort into his guild and they're just not progressing well in PvE.
He's frustrated and tired of it and was looking for a new server. Since he's on a PvE server I suggested he try out that instance guild 'alea iacta est'...but he said he preferred alliance.. so I told him I heard they had an alliance sister guild on the server as well.
So then he said large guilds weren't really his thing. He asked about Boulderfist and I never sugar coat my server. It's full of really rude people who sh!t on you when you do them favor and make fun of you when you ask for help...and try to cheat you whenever they can. The horde outnumber us 70/30 and a lot of the major horde guilds have a KOS (kill on sight) policy for certain alliance guilds. It's definitely no picnic...but that's what I really like about it. I like that it's rough...it gives the game an extra edge I really like.
And in the end, he said "I guess no matter where I go, I'm still gonna be by myself". Sad isn't it? I'm very lucky that all my RL friends play this game...and extended family and friends are there as well so it all feels like a good community. But for those like this guy whose friends all went to go play...as he put it "evercrap" lol...you're kind of screwed.
Is it just me or does it seem like this huge huge huge MMORPG may seem like it harbors a valid way to socialize....but in the end, it may not be so social after all. How many real relationships are formed in the game? How many people do we meet from WoW while playing can we take a real relationships from?
For me? Almost all the relationships I've formed outside of my guild have been superficial. "yo" "sup" "got my new merciless piece" "nice" "thx"....etc
It seems to me like if the guild doesn't create an atmosphere of community, that you will never have the forum or opportunity to create real bonds that extend beyond the Underbog or Black Temple or level 42.
It's just an interesting observation...8 million subscribers but how many of us still feel alone?
7 comments:
I wrote about this very thing in my blog, and I have to agree it is near impossible to have a ton of fun without friends playing, I have experienced it first hand and still do to some extent
As the game gets older, the players hit the level cap and dont log in unless its raid time.
I'm still having fun, but I've moved my main twice now. Once to get out of a lame situation, and then again to consolidate my characters on one server.
It is tough to make new acquaintances, especially if you're not terribly talkative. I did find a relatively decent guild, though, and have been enjoying the social aspect again. Even if you're a loner, having guild chat helps immensely, even if you're not participating in the conversation.
I have no friends in the game, and none of my RL friends care about WoW. Still, I'm currently without a home internet connection for a few days, and playing single-player PC or console games is driving me insane :)
So even if you don't bring anything to the game, the simple fact that you can stand around in Org, SW or Shatt and see 40 other players milling about gives you a nice sense of community.
Interacting with others MMORPG is essential. All the interactions you have should be considered relationships. Who cares if they turn into RL relationships or not. It's all still good because you are reaching more people than you would in real life.
If someone is by themselves in WoW then maybe they should roll a priest, warrior or paladin. With or without guildies, I have never been more social than when playing a priest or warrior.
p.s. alea iacta est is only "for the horde" ;)
I thought it had a sister guild that was alliance?
Well from what I see there are plenty of people in the same boat. I have never had rl friends that play WoW so I haven't been in the exact same position but there are plenty of folks who after TBC burnout find them selves alone and confused. perhaps you could start a thread on your server forum to see if there are any like minded souls about. I did that back when I was 40 and I got several people giving advice and even got a guild invite from folks who are still good in game friends. I guess the key is that you have to get yourself out there and make the contacts.
With 844 active members - Earthen Ring is where the AIE love is at.
The guild charter also states AIE is monolithic with no sister guilds. Any time one is brought up it is quickly discouraged.
I think this situation is not uncommon.
For myself, being a casual player means my in-game "Friends" quickly progress and do things that I can't yet.
The way I look at it, the social structure is built in a way that is not to dissimilar to RL. Real people play this game and there's a tendency to lean towards the natural, if not amplify it.
When I recently had to find a guild, I had to categorise them and decide what environment I wanted to be in and what I wanted from the game.
Like a career path if you will.
I chose a carebear guild that's not big, but is popular and I know there is a good relationship with raiding guilds on my server. Some raiders even have alts here.
So I make friends, talk to people, find out how raid X went, which is easy because I genuinely am interested. This takes care of the need to interact.
The guild itself is starting to raid and occasionally, invites from the other raiding guilds are issued. This takes care of the need for progress.
Read the realm's forums to get an idea of the "popular" guilds and try to pick out the "nice" and "casual" ones.
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