Clans in MMORPGs Good, Bad, or (Ugly)?

[Akasha]

Written by Terraphon

Whether or not to allow clans or player guilds in MMORPGs has been a subject of debate for as long as the gaming genre has existed. As far back as Ultima-Online, this has been a hot topic amongst many gamers and developers alike. In this article, I would like to take a look at some of the pros, and cons, of these “clans� and even discuss how some titles have allowed the player-run communities to get far out of hand. Some, even to the point where players become abusive and hostile towards others, simply based on clan membership or the lack thereof.

We all know that one of the greatest things about playing MMORPGs is the sense of community that can come from playing a part in things. The huge raid against the near “unbeatable� mob, having friends to talk to and quest with and even taking on virtual “squires� to whom we can pass on our knowledge gives us a sense of being in the virtual world. We have online friends to back us up in times of need, to help us with equipment and crafting, to tell us how to finish that quest quest we’ve been puzzling over for DAYS. That being said, being part of a clan has to be a great thing, right? Not necessarily…

Lets look at the flip side of the coin, from the perspective of players and the developers of these games.

Becoming involved in one of these clans brings with it a great deal of politics, especially when playing in games or on servers that allow PvP activity to take place. Let’s assume that you are a new, low level member of a guild. You are prancing about, happily, through some forest or across a nice meadow looking for some unsuspecting monster to victimize in the name of getting your next level when all of a sudden; members of another clan surround you. You look around and take notice that the lowest level, of any of those surrounding you, is double that of yours. One of them grins and pulls out his 2 handed sword of annihilation (+6) so you turn and attempt a heroic retreat. 2 steps, 50 spells, 184 arrows and 3 cleaves from a great axe later, you lie dead in this once peaceful and serene wilderness. As if that isn’t bad enough, let’s just hope that you’re not playing in a game or on a server that allows full looting. So now, you pop up at the spot that your everlasting soul is attached to, wondering what it is you could have possibly said, or done, to infuriate this band of ruffians to the point that they would light your carcass ablaze and do the happy dance around it.

This is where the politics come into play. Chances are, you did nothing wrong except be the victim of circumstance. Quite often, killings of this sort are “revenge killings�. Someone in your clan did something to anger someone in another clan and you paid the price. Now, you have the choice of either, sucking it up and taking the hit or calling your clan mates into action. Let’s assume that you call on your clan mates. You send a clan message letting everyone know what’s happened to you and now your brethren are up in arms. They are out for blood and they want it now. Several of them storm off in search of any player (or players) they can find that belong to the offending clan. After an exhaustive search, they find 1 or more people to take out their frustrations on, cleave them, smite them, staple them, mangle them and generally make their lives rough for a few minutes and BINGO... We have a clan war on our hands.

YEAH, BABY! Clan war! But wait... What if you don’t really want to be in a clan war? What if you are one of the peaceful types that wants to build your character, spend skill points on crafting, and become rich beyond compare? Well, too bad. You are now involved, “by proxy�. Your clan is at war; therefor YOU are at war. Not a whole lot you can do about it.

Or, perhaps you’re a part of the development team management on one of the many titles out there. One of your servers has a HUGE clan on it. So huge, in fact, that a full 50% of the active players at any given time are members of that clan. One day, you get an email or see a post in the forums telling you that a handful of the members of this clan are dissatisfied with a certain element of the game. They tell you that if you don’t change it, the whole clan will quit and move on to another MMORPG. What do you do? Obviously you can’t just change the whole dynamic of a title just because a small percentage of the players are unhappy with it but you also know that your company will take a huge hit on its monthly subscriptions if all those players leave. Say hello to Antacids and Insomnia... They are now your new best friends.

These are just a couple of the issues that arise with allowing clans in games of this nature. Now, before stomp your feet and say “I’m not joining any stinking clan, that’s just wrong!� let’s look at some of the pros and cons in a more objective fashion, and take it from there.

Here, I’ll offer a few of the “good, bad and ugly� traits associated with clans and a few suggestions may serve to get you through tough times.
[list][*] Good: A strong sense of community.[*] Bad: What if that community turns out to be a bunch of jerks?[*] Ugly: Not only are they jerks but they’re foul, rude, obnoxious jerks.[/list:you]

We sometimes find that we joined a clan a little prematurely and that we don’t agree with the philosophies of the members. If this is the case with you, do your best to move on (and out) without burning bridges and making enemies.
[list][*] Good: Knowledge is power.[*] Bad: Sometimes, you’re the only one around with ANY knowledge.[*] Ugly: Sometimes, you’re the only one around, period and you really NEED some knowledge.[/list:you]

When this happens, smile. Be happy with the fact that you can pass on what you know to others. Or that you may have the opportunity for new experiences. Also, ask around to other players that aren’t in your clan. Very often you will run into someone who will help you, regardless, and may even find a nice recruiting opportunity.
[list][*] Good: Strength in numbers.[*] Bad: Until you get caught hunting solo.[*] Ugly: While you’re under-leveled, under-potioned and under-buffed.[/list:you]

Run. Run fast. Duck…a lot.
[list][*] Good: One of your clan mates just got an extra suit of that wicked cool armor you’ve been searching for.[*] Bad: He’s already promised it to someone else.[*] Ugly: That is a member of a rival guild and you don’t have the 16,743,627,689 gold to outbid the other player.[/list:you]

This is something I will never understand. I have been a member of clans that had other members that would actually sell armor and weapons to members of clans we were at war with because no one else that was logged in happened to have the price they were asking. If this situation arises, just take note and understand that the person you are dealing with is probably NOT someone to look to in times of need.
[list][*] Good: You’re a relatively new player and your clan has LOTS of money and equipment to spare.[*] Bad: No one is around that has a key to the storage locker.[*] Ugly: HAHAHAHAHA! Newb![/list:you]

Another thing I fail to understand. We are all, at some point, the dreaded “n00b�. We all started somewhere. More often than not, clans are more than happy to unload TONS of money and goods on their new members. If you find that you are NOT a member of such a clan, it may behoove you to look elsewhere. If it’s just a situation of no one having access to it at that moment, try to get the word passed along and see what happens. In the meantime, go out, hunt and have some fun.

These are just a few of the issues that come along with being a member of a clan, and allowing clans to exist in these games. It is my stance that clans are a good thing and can be very helpful, a lot of fun and can add so much to the online world that being without one fills you with a sense of emptiness. I, personally, advocate their existence and patronage and feel that MMORPGs would not be what they are, without them. That being said, let me take a brief moment to describe you the thing that I abhor most about the “Ugly� side of clans and what may be done about it.

I have played a couple of MMORPGs, one in particular, that were adversarial in nature. While this, in and of it’s self is no bad thing, the result sometimes can be. Let me pose a scenario.

You go out and buy the latest and greatest…let’s call it “VirtuWorld�, for the sake of argument. You pick it up, two days after release, install it and log in. You start to build your character. You spend hours hunting, questing and leveling. You do research online and find out about skills and equipment and weapons, etc... About a week into playing you discover that, in order to advance further, you need to go and access an area you’ve never been to. You load up on all the goodies you’ll need for your little trip and run / gate / boat / fly to the new area, where you begin the hunt. Suddenly, a group that tells you that this land has been “claimed� by them and that they will kill you besets you. You have no choice but to comply with their demands and can now go no further in this game because you’re not a member. You try to become a member and they don’t want you because you’re either not the right race or class, weren’t a member of the beta team, etc... Time to reroll and hope for the best, or move on to another title.

Yes, I’ve seen this and more than once. In one MMORPG, whose title I’ll not mention, there was an entire CONTINENT that was “owned� by a guild of beta testers. If anyone set foot on that continent and was caught, he or she died. If you weren’t a beta tester, “too bad, no admittance, now leave us alone or we’ll kill you.�

There is only one way that such abuse can be handled. The makers of the game have to get involved and put a stop to it. The players can’t do it... They get steam rolled any time they try. In most instances, the developers will step in and break up the party... In the particular instance I mentioned, the developers thought that this was just part of the game-play, did nothing, and lost a HUGE portion of their player-base. In the instance of WoW, I have faith that Blizzard would not allow anything of the sort to take place and am certain that clans and clan based play will be very rewarding.

[Kalazor]

How blown out of proportion is that? Guilds are no-where near as bad. Sure some can be pretty foul - but in general that article is blown way out of proportion.

[Akasha]

Hmm.. I actually took it as a more comical take on guilds... lol hope it was meant to be that way because I chuckled most of the way through it.... ;)

[boscolio]

i thought it was pretty good. i don't think it's trying to say all guilds are like that. merely that those are the things you should be catious of when in a guild. i agree that if those problems are rearing their ugly heads then you should run as fast as you can.

[Akasha]

And of course with everything, it's always the most obvious ( be it the best or the worst ) that tend to stick in your memory....