Project Lore

Playing World of Warcraft is good.  Playing it as a group is better, and playing it with a group of people you actually know is downright fantastic.  If anecdotal evidence tells us anything, it is that the more comfortable the group is, the better it will perform.  This is the basic reason so many of us join guilds.  In World of Warcraft guilds are a way to meet requirements for raids, with the ultimate goal of seeing content that's unobtainable to an individual and the chance atshinies .  Being social creatures, we inevitably begin to converse and interact with those around us, but do we ever really get to know these people?

Tobold believes that "In most cases you know nothing about your online "friends", beyond that they share one common interest with you." I have to disagree.  Either I am the exception to the rule, or nearly all of the guilds I have been a part of in WoW are.  For those keeping track at home I did feel like an outcast in two of my Wrath guilds, but one of those was because all the other members were such good friends (that spoke in another language).

My current, and original 40-man, guild are more than just a bunch of online "friends".  Most of us know each other's names, our other hobbies (cars, computers, etc), our daily schedules ("he gets home at 8:30"), relationship status and our bedtimes.  We chat in Ventrilo for the sake of chatting.  We've extended our love of video games beyond WoW and into other games like League of Legends, Global Agenda and Team Fortress 2.  Together.  I keep in touch with a handful of former guildies, after they quit the game.  I have had that drink at a bar with many brothers in arms, and even hosted numerous guild get togethers at my domicile.  Hell, I had two people I meet in WoW over my house this very weekend.

There's no reason why your online "friends" needs to be in quotes at all.  In all honesty, you'll get back what you put in, just like any other relationship.  If you only want acquaintances to help you get through a challenging dungeon as you relax away the day, that's cool.  But I believe that making those deeper connections, forging online friends (not Facebook-style "friends"), makes for a better guild.  One that's less hateful, more accepting of failure, and capable of delivering more fun than just downing the next boss.

What about you?  What kind of social structure does your guild subscribe to?