There has been an outpouring of drama on Monday morning on the guild’s Whatsapp Crew Room chat. At first I intended to leave that off my blog because it involves emotions I would rather not revisit but since I feel it could be an important lesson for others and a chance for the guild to really learn from this, I decided that I will clarify what happened and why I think it happened from my own perspective. It must be remembered that this is only my side of events and my analysis thereof. Simply because I have this blog to document my thoughts in no way validates my side of events as any more correct than anyone else’s.
That said, although I really hate feeling backed into a corner by people who insist on their opinions being forced on everyone else, I will act to protect what I see as an illegitimate attempt to smear the good atmosphere and harmony we have in the guild.
It began with a comment from Manacle on the public Whatsapp chat room which attempted to add weight to previous opinion made by Debbs and appeared to suggest this guild is no longer casual and that we are now a ‘focused raiding guild’ to which I replied with examples of 1000g prize for weekly activity chart toppers, a monthly draw competition, no pressure on anyone who chooses not to actually raid, no requirement for game skill from any new applicants to the guild and I also alluded to the fact that we do not kick people who can’t join in with activities for whatever reason. All are welcome in the guild as long as they uphold it’s good spirit regardless of what activities they prefer to partake in during play. This I felt was proof that we don’t only focus on raiding in the guild although of course I admit there’s plenty people raiding in the guild and it’s a topic often discussed. I would also like to point out that I have never felt this guild to be ‘casual’ although casual players are warmly welcomed. I certainly do not play the game casually and I believe that if I did then I would not have the time to manage this guild. There’s a difference between dedicated and hardcore. We are dedicated, not hardcore but we certainly are not casual. Raid teams within the guild must demand certain standards of play and commitment but that does not define the guild overall.
Skankas(aka Widdershins) then jumped on the bandwagon and agreed with Debbs and Manacle then stated “How can a raider be dedicated in a casual guild? Sounds like a contradiction to me” and “I remember the raid team wiping continuously on current content” to which I then explained that this guild is not casual but a community guild (click the link for an example of the largest community guild in WoW and try telling me they don’t raid) where a raider is expected to commit to their team as in any other team sport anywhere else. I explained that if you are not a raider then your position in the guild is under zero scrutiny no matter how you play the game. I then wondered what kind of raid team it would be if nobody needed to bother turning up or perform for reasons such like they just ‘don’t feel it today’ which I know will strike a chord with Skankas since he has felt that way in the past. I was also astonished that he seems to have decided that a raid team that wipes all day appears to be better off than what he believes we now have? Weird but hey, that’s his opinion and he’s entitled to it right?
This tit-for-tat debate went on and on and became more and more heated until such times where Skankas told me ‘Get a life’ and quit the chat group, Debbs informed me that “You’re lucky you even have a guild” with a sarcastic GZ as I finally decided to put the crunching foot down on these stir-crazy goons. Warsworn and Manacle were involved enough to get roped in and as I then said, “you fly with the crows, you get shot with the crows” and I just hope that they learn to better judge their moments to take a determined and ruthless guild leader on in future.
*Grabs breath* Well I signed up for this guys, I’m the guy who got my 10 charter signatures and named the guild so I have only myself to blame. My decision has cost me much and gained me much more and I will never shirk my responsibilities to ensure that the guild is secured at all costs. Guys who don’t like to hear the truth should not open their opinionated mouths when dealing with a guild leader who has the very lifeblood of this guild coursing through his veins. It’s happened in the past with the drama mamas and it’s happened here yet again and guess what, the guild is as solid as it ever was. Nothing much has changed around here except for a few people as is normal for a video game community. People come and go and it’s my job to try and make it a fun place for as many of them as possible while carrying on as much consistency in how we operate as possible with such a turnover of people.
Yet again some people decided to play the big man card and force their shit to stick on the guild and once again they get chewed up and spat out to where they belong. Something simple like that amazing thing called ‘private conversation’ could have worked wonders but I guess they all wanted the spotlight and I guess their GM had no choice but to defend the guild from the blatant sabotage. Trying to tell me what type of guild I run is like trying to tell Michael Schumacher how best to drive his car. It’s mine guys and you’re all welcome aboard, but remember it ain’t a democracy and don’t ever delude yourself into believing it is because if you drop your guts in my guild chat, I will cut them off swiftly.
The Mothership blog post is a perfect example of how I view the guild in relation to the active groups operating within it and these guys have all read and some even commented in agreement of what I said there.
The Evolution of this guild has clearly been well documented so revisiting old woes seems pointless, irrelevant and frankly childish to me when I have already gone to such lengths to examine the community we enjoy the game in. Nobody has studied guild operations, leadership and playstyles more than I have in the last 5 years and nobody has their finger on the pulse anymore than I do at the helm of The Dambusters so it’s incredibly frustrating when bit-part players think it’s fine to offer throw-away opinions about the state of the guild and expect no criticism or scrutiny for their comments. That this incident was initiated by 2 real and good friends of mine in the public domain (rather than in private, face to face) only made it feel even more of a betrayal to me.
What I have learned from this:
It seems that since this opinion keeps rearing it’s ugly head from time to time, even although it’s from people who clearly can’t understand my points in previous blog publications, I feel it is time to try and ensure that a non-raider is elevated up the guild. The person must be a dedicated Dambuster but definitely NOT a raider and who has absolutely zero interest in raiding with the guild but has their finger on the pulse of the non-raiding parts of the community. The player in question must be playing most days and for good hours per week overall and will be a point of contact for anyone who feels that the guild is too raid heavy. I know this seems like a contradiction because I know full well how the guild operates regarding my expectation that the raiders respect the community and the non-raiders respect the raid teams within the guild but I do think that having so many raiders on the officer team can cause people to feel insecure. I do not want any more examples of this ‘us v them’ bullshit and if I see it happening again then you best be ready to find a new guild. I consider myself to be very approachable and will always answer anything anyone in the guild or outside the guild has to ask but I am aware that sometimes people might not want to ask directly so an officer who’s sole concern will be to cater to the needs of the non-raiders should be your point of contact should you wish to avoid talking to the big bully GM.
To the people who say “it’s only a game” as if we’ve somehow forgotten that fact lol……
You play the same game I do. Life is just a game, but I suppose you just sit back and not care about that either? Are you the type who advocates for every child getting a trophy because they participated, reguardless if they won? We are a species of competition and winning. You have a right to sit back and do nothing if you wish, but the rest of us have a right to try and do the best that we can and expect others who participate with us to do the same. What’s the point playing if you don’t care if you do well?
/Salute to the Dambusters
hi bigticket, i’m from an american server called sargeras and i been reading yo blogs ever since your wow insider mention. don’t let those assholes ruin your guild, stick to your plan and kick butts if they don’t like it man! GOOD for you