Have Guilds become -too- Strict?

[Grimm]

Something I was thinking about that prompted to me to ask the opinion of the community is, does anyone think Guild structures have become too strict? Personally from what I've seen, guilds are sort of becoming more like a job, rather than a like-minded community of friends who are playing a game, but thats just me. (I doubt most agree.) Anyhow, I was curious to find out what most of you think. Discuss.

Edit: P.S. Please, please. Avoid flaming, and stick to rational discussion. Everyone has opinions, not all opinions pertain to yours.

[hits79]

if that weeds out the drama causing people, or the looting noob, or the guild jumper, then yes.

[Fishy McFish]

Some guilds want to be serious and be the best. There's nothing wrong with that. There are also more casual friendly guilds to choose as well. Just gotta look around and find the ones that fits your play style the most.

[Zinrae]

Well, some guilds are, in my opinion. Of course, it all depends on the people, and what their goals are in the game. If you have a group of players that are trying to be the best in the game, they will probably set up their guild to get the best results, which takes organization. The people that are just there to play with eachother and have fun will still have less organized guild if they want.

[cmykspliff]

you complaining about guilds and your already in a guild for a game that is not out yet?
wtf?

[Unforsaken87]

I'd have to agree with guilds being too strict. I understand why this is so, but I have been playing AoC recently and was going to join a guild there. After visiting the website, seeing the rules as well as the application, I changed my mind. Penalizing someone for not being there for a raid, or group event b/c of real life is pathetic. Guilds wanting to know every little detail about your previous guild and life seems stupid. For one, most people probably lie and two if you dont like the person in your guild...kick em. To completely destroy my own piont though I can definately see why they go through some of the trouble. After playing countless MMOs, there are ALOT of idiots out there. Scammers and morons. There is a line and you just got to follow what you think is right. Dont join the guild if its too strict.

[mastrgamr]

There is a thin line between strict and organized.
A LOT!!! of people get this confused (i personally know)

IMO, Yes there are guilds that are strict, but it's also up to player if he/she wants to join that guild, there are many kinds of guidls and not all guild are "strict".

Here is how i think of it (my opinion):
PvP/Casual guilds = Organized, family/community based
Hardcore/Hardcore PvP= Strict
Oceanic= Fun community, structure, but not strict
Casual= close to the same as oceanic

Some guild's i've been in have a tough "strict" exterior but inside, there nothing but a close family that hold a tough mask to the guild's name (not saying the guild is soft) again its up to theplayer to risk going into the guild and finding out for him/herself.

To be honest I think more players should guild hop to find the guild that is right for them, because ultimatly it's up the players playing style.

[Birdman]

I think that this is how guilds should be. It's not becoming like a "job", what it is become is less of a "club". This is the right direction IMO.

[Kriaser]

In my experience, I've usually played hybrids, in which guilds have told me I have to be a specific spec. It's rather irritating to not be able to play as you would like, especially once you've worked your way up toward end-game. Guilds tend to be strict about this, but it's understandable in most cases. Many are overly strict and it's insane. Like the whole talk of "if the class has a heal, it will heal." Most irritating...

[Grimm]

I see, thank you for your responses. I was curious about people's thoughts on this matter. I'm hoping if I do create a clan, it'll probably lean more towards Oceanic, the many strict guilds is one of the reasons I avoided WoW. I used to have a few guilds on various ragnarok servers a few years ago, the guilds tended to be alot less strict, and more... fun. There were times where we'd charge castles, and even if we lost, it was hell of alotta fun. Eventually we got pretty good, and started taking over castles. From what I've heard, there is a fine line between organized, and strict, and I agree. Its the recent 'evolving' of the guild structure since the creation of WoW that has me worried that MMO's will become more of a organized serious sport, rather than a game meant to be played with friends abroad, and for ****s and giggles, and all sorts of fun. But, once again, its just me.

[c4tastroph3]

Originally Posted by Grimm

Something I was thinking about that prompted to me to ask the opinion of the community is, does anyone think Guild structures have become too strict? Personally from what I've seen, guilds are sort of becoming more like a job, rather than a like-minded community of friends who are playing a game, but thats just me. (I doubt most agree.) Anyhow, I was curious to find out what most of you think. Discuss.

Edit: P.S. Please, please. Avoid flaming, and stick to rational discussion. Everyone has opinions, not all opinions pertain to yours.

What I think is this. Half the idiots running guilds and setting rules can't play whatever game they're playing too well anyway, so they enforce strict policy to attract better players to cover up their terribadness. Log on at 8pm, sign off at 12am, don't talk, don't ask questions, stuff like that is very common now in 'hardcore' guilds. I'm just dramatizing a little, most aren't THAT bad. My personal opinion? I look back at what hardcore streak I had in my previous MMO, and I always tell myself, "Wow, I can't ever imagine playing a game again like I did then", because I literally look back and see mistakes. I can't imagine being told what to do over an internet game anymore, maybe it's because of my internet persona/ego, or maybe it's because I value other things a little bit more than I did before. Some loser over ventrilo won't ever tell me what to do, because frankly, I'm probably one hundred times a better player than he is. Why? I am Catastrophe.

Seriously though. Fact is, the best players don't always have to be in the best guilds. Many stress themselves in becoming apart of a megaguild in hopes of looking good among the general hardcore population. Guild leaders set the bar high and recruit above average players to advance their guilds, common routine. Guilds can be a second job if you don't watch where you're going with them. A close friend of mine used to play an MMO so much, he used to get teased at because we used to ask him questions like, "Hey, what kind of benefits you getting from them? Health care?". Stuff like that, all in good nature, but I mean he literally never put time out for real friends. All because he valued what he had there at his computer, which is little to value in reality, but to him it was everything at the time.

It's important to know what you intend to do in a game too. I hate using the word casual, so i'll just refer to someone as a generic player. Generic player, plays the game a lot, likes it, but it's low priority to him. Generic player gets in a generic guild, that doesn't require any ... requirements. You get the idea. No intention to 'raid', or 'hardcore game'. That's a generic player. Anyone who sacrifices real life events/etc to play the game would be considered the next level. Then would be hardcore players. Technically, the more you play, the better you are, technically. That's why hardcore players are considered better players in general, because of experience, time played. That's the frame of MMO's. All guilds are just apart of the cycle, or engine that is game content.

I think some guilds can be out of control with what they do and how they treat people. Trust me, I have met some real characters over the past few years gaming, most were hilarious, but some of them concerned me. Most only act like this because they do not want bad players associated with them. So it's not like they are bad people or anything, they just choose to take the game from a different angle. Most of the time it comes down to the players within those guilds to decide how much they want to put into the game, so you cannot simply blame a guild for being strict. The best guild I was ever in, was at one point one of the best guilds on our server, and we never had strict rules, but we were mostly just a bunch of good players and friends having fun. Since that is long gone, I have never been in a guild that comes close to what I experienced with those other gamers at that time. I met and befriended a lot of people there, and still talk to them to this day over the internet, even though 75% of them have quit that game for good. In the end, that's what you'll probably want to find, but it is very rare.

[Grimm]

You make very good points. Heheh. Thats the sort of guild I'm hoping to create, I've done it a few times, although its difficult. I miss my old guild days, I won't say I'm a great player, but I was decent enough, those were some good times.

[Calindor]

being hardcore has nothing to do with pvp or pve...people have to stop thinking of WoW...every other mmo you have to do both, stupid WoW and its arenas make people think that pve and pvp should be seperate

[Grimm]

Well, what we were talking about had nothing to really do with PvE and PvP, it had to do with some guilds evolving into a much more strict, almost 'job-like' form. I'm hoping Aion isn't like WoW. Although, I do understand your fusteration, I also do get tired of people talking about Aion as if it is WoW. When the point of a new game, is that it is, well, a new game.

[Silent]

Originally Posted by Calindor

being hardcore has nothing to do with pvp or pve...people have to stop thinking of WoW...every other mmo you have to do both, stupid WoW and its arenas make people think that pve and pvp should be seperate

Well in Guild Wars they are seperate as well but u can just do both.

On Topic - i think most guild being created TO BE THE BEST thing will probs epic fail at the end because they r taking players they dont even know so..