This post is going to be a long one because it's been a long time coming. Over the next several paragraphs I'm going to compare World of Warcraft (WoW) to a religion, while I regale you with the story of what's been happening the last several weeks. I acknowledge that this will be an over-reaching analogy and will probably run right over that line in the sand covering idolatry & herecy. Sound fun? Good...read on.
First an introduction to the terms and the players...
WoW: The video game World of Warcraft. Even my geek friends call it excessive. It's not just a game. It's not just a hobby. It's called world of "warcrack" for a reason.
Level: Players play the game from levels 1-70. When players hit level 70, the nature of the game changes dramatically. Some say, this is where the game really begins. It can take anywhere from 2-8 months of play for people to hit level 70.
End-Game Content: The insane stuff that level 70 players do until the wee hours of the morning.
Instance: A sub-area of the game where teams of 5-players join up to tackle difficult in-game challenges.
Raid: A larger sub-area where teams of level 70 players are merged to work together. Raid Instances are a variety of sizes including 10, 25 & 40 players. The casual player need not apply.
Guild: A group of 10 or more players who create their own "club."
Raiding Guild: A guild of 40-50 (or even more) level 70 players dedicated to Raiding End-Game Content.
GM: Guild Master. This is the person in charge of the guild. In the top guilds, this can look and feel like a full-time job.
Officers: The guild-master's assistants. Sometimes like a board of directors. Really depends on the guild.
So, here's where it gets interesting. The best way I can describe WoW to anyone who hasn't played it, is to say that WoW is a videogame AND a social network. Because of the extreme amount of time and effort involved in end-game content, players find themselves dedicated to it like a part-time job. However, the best way I can describe the psychological and sociological framework is to compare WoW to a religious system. WoW is the religion. The raiding guild is the congregation. The GM is the pastor. The officers are the church council. Raiding is our worship. (See, I told you it was going to sound really bad!)
Now, every raid is like a different kind of service. Each requires different rituals and different participants. BUT, each congregation has different attitudes about preparation and discipline. The best guilds are Zealots. They eat, sleep and breath the raid. The worst guilds are like the church in Doonsbury. They are so into all their social engagements and non-worship activities that they never get down to the business of successfully raiding.
The Zealots can burn out, but it's the lax church that falls apart. Every guild and all their players must decide if their focus is the worship OR the people. Are you a social guild or a raiding guild? Walking the line between is the best and hardest thing to do. This is my story about failing to walk that line.
When I joined my raiding guild it was thriving, but already beginning to falter. Our GM and leadership had gone through some massive changes. (Think about getting a new pastor & church council president.) The game had recently expanded (think building remodeling.) The whole guild needed to go from level 60-70 in order to start raiding again (moving to another worship space.)
When we arrived in our new space, the dynamic of raiding had changed. Our leadership was more interested in the way people felt and less about the ritual and preparation. (This is good in real church, bad in the church of WoW.) We struggled. The GM and her closest Officer (think Pastor & Church Council President) are great people and faithful players, but poor organizers. Slowly but surely a number of long-time members left for other Guilds (congregations) or stopped playing WoW (crisis of faith.)
Newer, less prepared members were thrust into positions of leadership. My friend Avouz found himself in the position of Tank & Raid Leader (think minister of music and worship leader.) My friend Ionya, a steadfast & quiet person (usher-type) was suddenly thrust into a leadership role too (think Stewardship Committee Chair.) And I, for my part, excitedly went into a leadership position too. (Imagine being Church Council VP, but in complete disagreement with the President.)
And so, the "church" hung on. Folks left & folks came. There was talk of a great revival of faith and new membership. Our grounds became somewhat dilapidated. Worship attendance became sporadic. More members left. Still, folks were hopeful. Except, quietly, my friends and I became miserable.
Why? It's simple. We wanted to be raiders. The guild became focused on the people. There's nothing wrong with a people-focused guild. There's a problem with raiders who stick around trying to change it back to a raiding-focused guild. (Imagine a bunch of old-school high-church members sticking around in a progressive praise-band congregation....something has to give.)
Three weeks ago, the guild began preparation for an important 25-player raid that we'd not tried in months. (Think Easter worship OR pot-luck fund raiser.) It was at the same time that my friends and I decided it was time to leave the guild, but we knew that the raid would never work unless we stayed. So, we did. And the raid went fine. It was the kind of raid that brings new hope to the players, but also the kind of thing that showed us how out of place we really were. It was a success and a failure all at once.
So, this morning, as we had planned, we all left. The decision is having ripple effects in our little church. Three of us were guild officers. My friend Cainam was our top damage dealer. (Imagine if half your church council left and your best soloist & organist left with them. )
The hurt and rift caused by this situation might very well be the death-cry for the guild. Yet, to stay would have done a disservice to us and to the guild. Perhaps, folks will wake up and make the guild better. Perhaps not.
But, the bottom line is that we were all miserable about the situation and it's a game. We're not quitting, but we are moving on. Our #1 reason for playing the game is to do it together and we lost sight of that. Our #2 reason for playing the game was to experience the end-game stuff which our guild simply could not do.
I guess I'm just feeling the loss and grief from any change that comes from strife and difficulty. The sad part is that our GM & leadership will never be able to forgive us. We tried to do the right thing, but we burned the bridge hard.
1 comment:
good post :)
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