Standing in fires...

This is in response to an article by a fellow gamer. You can check it out at:
http://gambit.mit.edu/updates/2009/02/lern_2_play.php




Fear not, little shaman. I am not here to kick you from our group again. =) I read the papers that your blog referenced and I need to add my two gold pieces. My guild is seriously casual - so casual that it does not fit the typical definition of a guild would be in World of Warcraft. We have 3-5 major raid groups and from that, multiple 10-man core groups that consistently run all of the available end-game raids available to us as of February '09. We do not recruit - you must know a friend who will vouch for you. You are not required to show up to raid. You do not need to do anything except log in once a month to save your spot in the guild roster.

What is status in such a casual guild? Is it the raid leaders that can consistently bring out the good players? Is it the gear? The players?

I agree that wearing powerful items was a way to tell a how progressed an avatar is in the game. I also agree that there is more to gaming than just showing up to raids and getting your shinies.

I would argue that the difference between good and bad players is motivation. People that are motivated will learn the fight and understand the roles of other players in the raid. They will be motivated to take time, do the math, or at least look up on a forum that explains why their actions and choices in game make a difference. Motivated players understand that their character could make a difference in whether there is loot or player corpses on the ground.

You are not just analyzing yourself - you are making sure that everyone around you is doing their job. You are taking the time to help the new guy so that the group does not fail. You take the time to not just loot but understand why that fight worked or what could be improved.

If you do not have this type of drive, you become the lazy player. Lazy players can just show up to fights. They have their gear, flasks, and know the fights. These types are reactive players. They may not stand in fires but they are not looking behind them to see what is happening. They are unmotivated to do more than simply loot and log.


The people that will stand out are those that can be named as good players, despite their gear and their levels. There is a switch in game that is quietly happening where you know who you can count on and who should be avoided. It is almost impossible to not have nice gear in World of Warcraft - the field has been leveled with the relative ease of the end-game instances and the quick, no-brainer boss fights. When we kicked you - it was not because of your lack of gear. I did not recognize your name. We had no idea who you were. Even if you were part of a large, well-known guild, we still did not feel that you were up to par.

You are now making a name for yourself. You are consistently showing up to raids. You have taken up a voice in the community. You are doing your job as a raider and taking the time to learn how all aspects of the gamer relate.

You are becoming your character. It makes a world of difference.