While the threat from countless enemies encountered in any given MMO, from sword-wielding bandits to massive netherworld dwelling demons, fill the world with danger, what can utterly destroy any gamer’s experience remains the fellow player.

For mst, multiplayer adds a much more dynamic experience to just about any game. Human interaction adds a dimension that just can’t be matched by any current A.I.

However, there is an element that rears its ugly head that can ruin not only someone’s singular experience over the course of an evening, but the game itself. Here are some phenomena and instances that I’ve encountered in my MMO experience.

Hardcore vs. Casual

This is a debate that rages in forums throughout every game. Hardcore gamers feel they’ve earned the right to better gear and end game content and casual gamers gripe that the demands of real life prevent them from enjoying all the game has to offer.

There is an angle to this debate that affected several guilds that I’ve been in. First off, I designate myself a casual gamer. I normally played two nights a week. At any given time, I have only one level-capped character. So, when I look for guilds, I look for casual guilds. Despite a guilds designation as ‘casual,’ several hardcore gamers find their ways into its ranks.

Several gamers claim the title, ‘casual,’ despite obviously belonging to the hardcore crowd. While the majority of the guild has one, maybe two, level capped ‘toons, they have several, across multiple servers.

Why is this an issue? The hardcore gamer, that thinks he or she is casual, grows impatient when fellow guild mates aren’t up to snuff to handle end game content. Said player makes friends in the guild, gripes to them, creates alliances, and then jumps ship with said friends. When the actual casual players finally make it to end game, there aren’t enough players in the guild to handle the content.

The solution? Whether you’re hardcore or casual, be honest with yourself and your fellow guild mates. If you play every day, join a hardcore guild. Don’t lie to yourself, get involved in a casual guild, and then complain endlessly about how you have nothing to do. There is nothing wrong with being a hardcore gamer. There is something wrong with complaining that your guild mates, in a casual guild, are not.

Cliques

As games increasingly move to multiplayer, gamers are forced to deal with social mores of human relationships, for better or for worse. Alliances, within any guild, will form. While there is nothing wrong with finding a group that has great chemistry, the problem arises when the group becomes exclusive.

It happens too often. Someone asks for help in guild chat and they’re ignored. Said person asks again and two answers pop up, but his/her guild mates are too busy.

Someone logs on, a popular player and asks if anyone wants to do ‘xyz’ and those that just answered that they were too busy are suddenly in the popular player’s group.

This is especially detrimental to lower-level players. In many cases, someone considering joining a guild will enter their mid-level alts to the guild first to see how they’re treated.

Helping lower level players eventually leads to more higher level toons, which means greater access to end game content. Ignoring other players simply because you may not get anything out it is short sighted. If you want to act that way, you might as well not even be in a guild.

Officers

This may be anecdotal, but it’s something I’ve noticed in a few guilds that I’ve belonged to. It seems that leadership roles are not given because of skill or knowledge, but because they’re on all the time.

While experience counts for a lot, both in game and real life, how many of us have had bosses that have been at their jobs for decades, but consistently screwed up? Obviously, guild leaders/officers should be in game fairly regularly, but that shouldn’t be the only requirement.

Have Fun

It seems that the ultimate point of the game gets lost in the mix of grinding and guild drama. Games are supposed to be fun. I find fewer things more enjoyable than slaying epic monsters, whether digital or on the tabletop, with a good group of friends.