After some hiatus, I logged in to my Google Reader to check my RSS feeds. I've subscribed to a WoW commentary feed. No surprise there as many of you are probably long aware that I've recently resumed playing with the release of the new expansion last month.
There is an ongoing discussion about class and raid balancing, along with some recent gripes about the game becoming too "easy mode" (sound familiar? TFC >
TF2?) What interested me was a particular argument differentiating between a "casual" guild and a "hardcore" guild.
A "casual" guild of such can be equated to the likes of a
TF2 team, much like ourselves. We've been around, we play the game with our own personal goals in mind (getting MVP, achievements, mass murder etc) However, we do not partake in competitive scale events. Sure, we have the odd scrim here and there when we got the numbers and the time. But never something to the extent of competing in a league, local or overseas.
Typically, a clan that participates or has great desire to participate in competitive events is seen as "hardcore", roughly equating to a
WoW guild which has a raid schedule to clear all possible bosses/content in the game per dungeon per week. In addition, they maintain a good standing in worldwide arena rankings. Failure to do so, results in reprimanding from the raid leader. Generally, it's like a
TF2 team where a frequent and regular match schedule is practiced in addition to playing at least 4 hours of ranked public servers everyday.
Of course, there are the in-
betweens and hybrids with all sorts of names in
WoW: Retired hardcore raiders, casual
PvP raiders and casual-hardcore (
lol) just to name a few.
As you might have already guessed, the topic which I want to talk about is between casual and hardcore. The argument which was presented in the
WoW commentary was that current raid content is far too easy and hardcore guilds feel that they're being shortchanged. Average (and even
sucky) players are walking around with epics, blasphemy to the raiding guilds which sharpen their skills to a knife's edge.
I get the feeling.
It's almost like those players who farm achievement maps for their
unlockables. Then again, I might get flamed for saying this, because clearly we're not playing World of Team
Fortresscraft. But if I had to equate a
MMO to
TF2, this would be how I would do it.
Having been in a raiding guild on a
PvE server with a serious raiding schedule, I can say that I'm a little disgusted with
WoW players who put in little or no effort into acquiring their epic loot. It's almost as if no thought was put into playing their class because sometimes when I go for pick-up dungeon runs with them, they seriously know jack shit about "aggro" and optimum "
dps". All they know is, "If we kill this boss, I MAY get the item that I want."
But this bleeds into the larger argument of, "what do we play this game for?" This goes for all games with some form of personal achievement. To relate, in
TF2 for example, the reason I play the
Pyro is to prove myself that although it may be an easy class to play, mastery is incredibly difficult.
The recent discussions and terminology, "W + M1" is pissing the hell out of me as you will hopefully soon see in another detailed post about
Pyro theorycraft. I've been at the receiving end of this very blunt butter knife of insults in most games I play - particularly in
WoW. "Hunter just
autoshot and
afk right? So easy." Everyone takes the piss on something they don't understand so selfishly. No one ever considers factors like weapon breakpoints and limitations. But I digress.
Going back to the main topic, the interesting bit about this WoW discussion is that the argument about "sponsorship" came in.
Sponsorship, to me at least, can be seen in many ways. It could be that a clan/guild is backed by an enterprise who deems their gaming efforts as "marketable" for "potential brand exposure". It could also be seen as a small group of core members who contribute monetary assets to better the development of the clan/guild. Clearly, my views are drawn from the traditional FPS world of gaming sponsorship.
XsT could be classified as being sponsored, we had vent and web server paid for, domain name, and even our own private server. Not to mention the occasional free food at our barbecues.
Among the
WoW community, individuals claimed that casual raiders will never get to see some of the content hardcore guilds would see.
Hardcores and former
hardcores claimed that they were often sponsored, which is why they have a significant edge over these casuals - sometimes gold-buying was involved.
Some scoffed at the word "sponsored", saying that they fail to see how someone paying for a guild website or vent falls into the category of sponsorship. The reply the skeptics got from hardcore players was, "you have no idea."
This was what led me to write my article. How is it that some one or some people, with the intention of taking the clan or guild one step up, can strengthen the bonds within a team by adding value with a service?
The key, is initiative.
Would a hardcore
WoW raiding guild have achieved so much if they spent time worrying about who was going to pay for the next month of vent or
webspace? Would the communication between the players be as effective if not for voice? Would you trust your teammates as friends if you didn't find out that little extra about their real-life through the forums or chats? Most importantly, you wouldn't have as much fun as you are having right now if not for the knowledge that your teammates are having fun with you because of who they are.
If you have to worry about the transparency of
DKP for every single raid, I don't think the incentive to show up on time for the raid would be as great for anyone.
DKP means loot priority and loot priority usually means you get a
raidspot. The reason why so many
WoW guilds fall apart is because of internal disputes and drama which usually involve loot.
I suspect that in the world of gaming, initiative and transparency from individuals is what defines pro-
ness. Regardless monetary or effort. It adds value by increasing communication and awareness between members both in-game and in real life.
Even though we don't see him much,
Spiddy has already kindly funded our site and vent for this whole year. Simple value-add acts which help forge a stronger relationship through communication. With no expectation of return, that in itself, is sponsorship. Big thanks to him for it!
In conclusion, sponsorship, in all its forms, are acts of individuals which add significant value in generating unity amongst players. It most definitely is one of the many key components to the success of any clan or guild, one that I will continue to support.
There have been a few TF2 paper cut-outs, DIY stuffed headcrabs but there's been nothing like an Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. Made for a cosplay event, the materials used to build the replica include: 
