Online gaming guilds are a living, breathing thing. Guilds can come in all forms, from casual gaming to immersed raiding; the members will determine how it will take form. I’ve played many games in my day, some as a leader and a few as a modest follower; one thing I’ve noticed regardless is the ability of key folks to bring about a following and empower these same followers. You may run into these folks from time to time; they often discount your attempts to place them in a position of power. A good start to finding the perfect leader would be matching their personality with these attributes:
Mood: Often times a very sociable player with a good sense of humor will have the ability to sway and prompt players to achieve something. Sincere humor can signal how the person feels and give you insight into their attitude. Consider someone who can express themselves well; jokes are often the best way to estimate this ability. Sarcasm works well too, especially when used in good taste.
Availability: You can’t direct while offline. We all know that real-life affairs will best a video game any day, but your leader should focus their game time on building their respectability. The brutal fact is that your leader must be present to lead; if they can’t log in regularly you may want to find another.
Conflict Resolution: We’ve all seen the conflict that occurs due to the internet’s ability to mask someone’s true identity. A capable leader will act without delay to prevent these conflicts from spiraling out of check. Conversely, the leader shouldn’t try to fix every disagreement that takes place. If your guild is comprised mostly of adults (and I hope for your sake it is, hah) then I would expect them to use their “big kid” thinking to work out differences.
Diplomacy: It’s tough dealing with other guild entities, especially when they don’t heed diplomacy or tact. It’s the guild leaders job to coordinate with these competitive guilds and prevent things from getting nasty. Both teams will have common goals such as wealth, status, or dominance; play off of these goals to reach a mutually beneficial relationship. There is always a profit for both parties, simply unlock it and run with it.
Loyalty: Loyal members are very hard to come by, players nowadays tend to run off at the first promise of “phat loot.” Make sure the person you put in charge of your guild is dedicated; if they jump ship for a bigger, better team then your minnow may be lost. Is your leader willing to spend time and money outside the game to keep players motivated? If your leader is forking over his or her hard cash to sustain resources outside the game, you’re in good shape. Would you jump ship on your friends after making promises and spending your own money to make those promises happen? I’m going to go with no.
With every generation of MMORPG player becoming more self-centered, it’s difficult to find quality leadership. If you fancy yourself a leader and found yourself nodding your head as you read this post, remember that your job isn’t building an individual character ” that will come with time. Remember to invest in others as you would yourself and you may just be surprised at the results. Do you have what it takes?