Monday, March 10, 2008

Hardcore Guild: USA?

There are certain parallels that we can draw between virtual world and real world. An example is that of rigority and demands of a society, versus its profile and success.

I am currently conducting a research in World of Warcraft. We looked at guilds in the game, and specifically two types of guilds, casual guilds and hardcore raiding guilds. Here's our description of the differences:
Casual and hardcore guild shared two commonalities, in different proportions. One they share a sense of communality. Two they allow progression in their members. In a casual guild, the former is stronger, while in a hardcore guild, the latter is stronger. These two dimensions are critical to the cohesion and dynamics of guild activities.
In a communal guide, members are expected of understanding and tolerance to other members. ... the environment is less stressful and demanding.
In a progression guild, guild members raise their expectation of themselves and others. ... they also expected more of others, in terms of gear, frequency of participation, and consistency.
We argued that both factors are important to any guild. However, depending on the guild management and its members, a guild can vary in both facets. In some ways, the two are inversely related. The more guild policies and demands were enforced, the less accommodating a guild becomes. However, the more accommodating a guild is, less is imposed on the performance of its members.
Lets see. If you couldn't keep up with the school or your company, you have to quit or be laidoff. You have to work hard for your name and name of your institution. So how close it is to the US versus other countries? There are certain relationships between friendiness, bonding, and performance. Its a wonder if both can be well upheld in any society.

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