Despite so many of them ending in drama and despair, I’m still a great believer in the concept of guilds/clans/player associations/call them what you like, in MMOs. Maybe I’ve been luckier than most in the guilds I have chosen to join in my time, but I guess I’ve also made some of my own luck by creating some guilds from the ground up with the simple concept of creating the kind of MMO guild that I would want to be in. A pretty simple concept.
What I’m hoping to do with this series is record some of my thoughts on guild creation. Maybe my thoughts will work for you and give you something to think about. Or maybe you’ll write me some hate mail and tell me that this is a bunch of crap. Either way, let me be the first to acknowledge that, like most things in life, there is no single “right way” to create an MMO guild. What works for me, might not work for you – and vice versa. OK, that’s the intro done.
For our first outing, I thought I might discuss one of the most important of all issues when a guild concept is being kicked around – the name. This is something that has to be decided from the very start of any guild and, unless the MMO in question has very forgiving guild management rules, will stick and come to define you and your bunch of merry men (and women) for months and years to come. So it’s kind of a big deal!
Start by asking yourself how you want to approach the game. Are you wanting to create a guild that’s all about fun and laughs and people not taking themselves very seriously? Consider a comedy name that reflects that. Not only will it feel “right” for you and your members, but when others in the community see your name, they will hopefully get a sense of that sense of fun and not acting too seriously from the start.
What I find quite schizophrenic in MMOs, meanwhile, is when guilds which take themselves very seriously, and want to be taken seriously by the other guilds on their server, also take on a comedy name. Maybe it was after a night of drinking, or maybe it just seemed “right” at the time and made some people laugh on Ventrilo or IRC, but if your goal is to be a serious guild, do think twice about using comedy names. Not only will the joke wear thin very quickly, but you will potentially lose recruits who don’t realise you’re a serious guild or, worse, they do realise you’re a serious guild, but still don’t want to join you because they don’t want to be in a guild with a “stupid” name.
Another thing to consider is how your guild name fits into the gaming world itself. Let’s say a Star Wars Galaxies guild called itself, “The Jedi Council”. While a serious name in itself at first glance, the name takes on comedy overtones when you stop and think that these people are (i) Naming themselves after an organisation that no longer exists in the game world and, (ii) Even if it did still exist, it wouldn’t be represented solely on the server by people in that guild. I have always, always, always run a million miles from guilds that claim to be an official organisation already known in a game’s lore. There’s no nice way of putting this – it looks lame. Like something your 12 year old brother might create. And who wants to play with their 12 year old brother? Case closed.
You might think that your choice of guild name isn’t that big a deal but, seriously, it is. For people who aren’t in your guild, the name is 99% of what they see when it comes to your guild. The best advice, distilled from the past few paragraphs is to choose something that reflects your approach to the game. Anything else will be a lie and will ultimately frustrate you and/or your members and/or potential recruits. Trust me.
Next time, with a guild name decided and in the can, I will tackle the issue of guild websites. Buy a URL and hosting and create one from scratch? Use a guild website hosting service? Advertisements or no advertisements? You get the idea. Bye for now.