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.

Passing -- the founder of RPG.

From http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/1810:

On March 4th, the world lost Gary Gygax. Considered by many to be the father of role playing games, Gygax is credited with the co-creation of Dungeons and Dragons and was co-founder of TSR, the brand that led the world of RPGs until it was purchased by Wizards of the Coast. Gygax was 69 at the time of his death and is survived by his wife and six children.

While inventing a game like Dungeons and Dragons won’t get you household name recognition, Gygax was a legend (and I don’t use that term freely) in the RPG industry and with role players worldwide. So much so that to this day one of my favorite episodes of Futurama features an animated version of Gygax. :“It’s a… *rolls dice, sees result*… pleasure to meet you.”

I grew up with D&D and had not know its inventer until today. It brings me many good and lasting memories.