Guilds. Gotta love them. They are fine places to meet and greet folks. They make it easier to group up for questing and instances/raids. It gets lonely out there, chattin away during a grind is always nice to do. The team concept and belonging to something greater than the self is an accomplishment. Building a City and gaining guild renown is it's own reward. But there is a danger for those inclined to lead.
See, we all have a vision of what a guild should or should not be. Often it goes through evolutions over time. One thing though, it is very demanding for a Guild Leader and his subordinate officers to handle both mentally and emotionally. Let's face it, leaders want to bring thier guild to success and glory. They want to organize the events and plan in detail the Guild's progression. But when is it too much? I have seen somoe of the finest Guild Leaders in many different MMO's fall to the side over time as thier once mighty guilds crumble slowly with neglect. It takes a toll on a person to constantly be planning and providing for a guild, especially those with very focused objectives. Then there is that Real Life factor. Leaders often feel responsible if something doesnt kick off in thier absence. It can be taxing to even the most stalwart Guild Leader who wishes to make sure his members regardless of level or experience are provided with an environment where it is a joy to play amongst guildmates.
Recently, I noticed a number of guilds calling it quits on Age of Conan. Now, part of it happens from discontent of the game or been there, done that and its time to move on. These I understand. I won't make arguements etc over them. But something more insidious has happened to a few of the long time veteran Leaders which I have noticed in other games as well. The Burn Out Dragon. Yup, ugly beast. Burn out in Guild Leadership happens when more often than not, the Leader has devoted so much time to a given group that the game became work, not play. They no longer enjoyed the game for itself, but dreaded logging on for fear of one more requirement by thier members.
I have a policy for myself, if it seems like work...STOP. There are days I don't log on. I enjoy other aspects of life in general. Or, I log on, but onto an alt and let people know Im just out goofing around. Do Not Disturb. Keeping things casual and low stress is important folks. Remember the mmo worlds are not life...only an aspect of life. Keep that in mind when your out there.
sounds a lot like my first months back when WoW launched several years ago. I really wanted my guild to start raiding and I pushed myself too hard with all the RP events and whatnot.
ReplyDeleteIts a tought cookie
Agreed,
ReplyDeletePeriodically I post observations on Guild Leadership and some hints or tips I find useful. It is always important in my mind to have a healthy balance between game life and real life. Keeps things fun! Glad ya dropped by Slith!
Hihi. Don't overdo it. My Guildboss has a very busy job. He comes online mostly on Mondays and leads a T1. For him that is stress relieve and almost like going to a pub. We joke around while doing the raid and simply have fun.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless he is our 'Lord' *gg* For T2 and T3 we have an alliance. And for Hardmodes you only need 6 guys anyway.
"I have a policy for myself, if it seems like work...STOP. There are days I don't log on."
ReplyDeleteSolid advice. As a player of several MMOs, my main is still EverQuest...Age of Conan is one of my downtime game, AoC specifically being my guiltiest pleasure; where else can you get swords, sorcery, and half-naked female fighters so beautifully rendered amid the sordidly savage backdrop of Hyboria?
Guild leadership is no joke though; over in Norrath I'm a Senior Officer of a very large guild and managing it can be a task.
I'm actually more concerned about AoC though; specifically with the launch of free-to-play in EQ, I think the community is more vibrant and healthy, and definitely MUCH more mature. That's my one big bone to pick with AoC- a mature-level content game overrun by kids. And if you watch Global chat for any length of time, it's more then obvious they ARE kids.
@kudeldud ~ Yup always take a step back...totally agree.
ReplyDelete@Kiri ~ On the point of genre, AoC wins hands down. On guild Leadership, progression wise it is certainly a task. As to the community, I agree, the mentality can be a serious issue. I will say it seems that the novelty of FtP has slowed down. There is a core level group which continues on, and yes global is ugly at times. But then, I rememebr we used to joke about WoW Horde side General Chat as being Barrens chat for all the smack talking. I usually put certain folk on ignore if they are too twisted. While the overall population has seen some slow down, I am noticing that the promise of the up coming crafting revamp has gained interest from long time players who want to come back and try it out. Here is to hoping!