Guild Gathering #7 - Ideal Members

My idea of ideal members of a guild are 'people who know how to communicate their availability and what they need in order to have fun'.

I don't have age or maturity requirements, I'm used to dealing with teens and teen drama (I don't personally find it much different from adult drama, except that teens are more likely to act out, then listen, and adults are often the opposite).

But players who either 'expect the guild to make all the fun for them' or 'get pulled into the flows of others and don't say what they really want' cause problems and drama later. This isn't the same as 'players who just go with the flow'. As long as that type can communicate their general availability, it's fine.

The problem is actually that games don't often easily give players tools for communicating this quickly to other guild members or guild leaders outside of the game, and even these days, with the various methods of communication easily available to people, even people with powerful gaming computers, it still varies. I won't go too far into that since 'App Integrations' is the next topic, but you can assume I'd have a lot to say about that. Players need to be able to use their App to communicate availability and wishes in a way that the Guild Leader/Officers can organize.

Since I prefer freeform guilds that just tend to 'do whatever most people align to on that day' or 'sort groups out to go do preferred content', and I have no focus on 'retention', being completely fine if people use the guild as a stepping stone to guilds that are more focused on their content preference type, the key is 'communication'.

The expectation of other members is that they are understanding of that communication.

Finally, people who don't have another strong goal or something are expected to at least consider helping out with activities that someone has a strong desire for, after all, if you aren't doing that, why are you in my guild type? If you just want a social place to hang out and chat, there are probably better guilds. If you are focused on one type of content and wish you were always doing that, there are better guilds for that too.

Besides that, communicating upfront that there will be things you shouldn't do, that certain rules can't be 'interpreted to the letter' and therefore to some extent either majority rule or my say, goes, and that there will be a record of negative behaviour (stuff that can be tied directly to some infraction of the rules, minor internal drama between specific people that isn't harrassment isn't that big a deal to me, that's just 'people'). I'm pretty despotic even if I try not to be, and to some extent I feel that's a valid way for a guild leader to be if that's extremely clear to anyone who wants to join, up front.

An ideal member complains, communicates, even can be toxic (to me at least), and aims to get things worked out or decide if they want to just let it go, and understands that the guild's style isn't going to change, and obviously some trust in myself or my officers is required. If they want the guild to change significantly, they need to find a new guild, and there will be no hard feelings if they do.

As an officer my ideal guild member is either easy going in regards to 'what they do' or 'easy to read' in terms of what they want out of their time online. I am very used to people being uncertain about what they want and have found that many people either need a new situation to get a better gauge of what they want or they have a very clear idea of what they like or dislike. These two types of people are good guild members when they are trusting in their team members enough to actively share their opinions when they change, and to be open to adapting their personal goals to meet other guild members goals in the middle. I prefer guilds that aren't focused on a particular content type and crafting oriented guilds as those two types tend to have a culture of promoting this.

People who are argumentative or unsure of what they want are both fine, but not when those two traits combine. When those two traits combine it leads to them not listening usually. The more someone is trying to listen the more likely they are able to come to a resolution in internal conflict.

I tend to trust guild members more when they have proven they are actively trying to come a positive conflict resolution for both parties in a disagreement. If you have argued with others more AND resolved them even if not always optimally, this is my sign that you are a person who is responsible and reliable for other things. People who try to avoid conflict outright are people I trust less because no one knows how you will react when you are backed into a corner. However they can still be a suitable guild member, with less responsibility maybe, as long as they are the 'easy going' type when it comes to what activities the guild is going to be doing.

I generally find it easier to deal with conflicts when there is a common space for the guild to hash things out in that they are actively contributing to. Having an unconscious reminder of peoples work and effort that they shared in helping build up is a good way to ground the situation back into the guild's culture.

I personally need to know my guild members needs in an easy to access fashion. I am used to games where not every member is online at the same time. This is why communicating the needs or desires so that people can group around whatever goals may be available at the moment is so vital to me as an officer. It can be almost physically painful when people are dragging their feet or worse 'trying to catch up to something'. I don't need people active all the time. I need people to be comfortable giving their availabilities on a day to day basis so that way there isn't fear of missing out and it's easier to make sure people who got left behind in one activity can muster for the next 'wave' while people swap out of their availability windows. I technically therefore prefer whiny guild members who become content quickly when they are given a satisfactory answer to their problem. I'd rather have you whiny than quietly suffering and resentful.

Consistency with schedule is still nice. But I measure your 'successfulness' in terms of how well you handle 'missing out on something you wanted to do' and how well we as a guild can make sure you still get something out of the day. I therefore prefer content that is more doable in 45-65 min blocks as it allows for easier rotations. People should know a day in advance if the guild is doing longer or more intense content and is expected to respect the time windows for those. If they don't that's 'fine' as long as they do not complain about not being able to join. At some point the guilds gotta go and do what's scheduled you know?

Tl;dr I'm looking for your clarity in expression of your wants and your ability to be a 'goal focused' team member who is looking to align your goals with those of people around you without necessarily deferring to them. I don't view this as an age or experience thing and so don't care about age restrictors in that sense.

It's easiest for me to talk about this as a guild officer, so I will do that. I can't have people who ignore the rules or my authority while enforcing said rules. I can't have people who politely listen when I explain they crossed a line, and then continue on as if I hadn't warned them. This to me is possibly grounds for immediate expulsion because it can be "contagious" and sets a bad example. I need a way to communicate this expectation to players before they even sign up to be in the guild.

By contrast, picking a fight with me and conflict in general is not itself a problem as long as it is understood that I will genuinely listen and try to help but expect my final decision to be obeyed. I found this to be difficult to communicate to others because people think conflict is automatically bad, it's probably something that is understood by players through the 'culture' of the guild.

I prefer when people are outspoken about what they want and what they don't in terms of activities and their availability so I can make sure to match them with the right guild members for that day/activity. I trust such players (even when it generates conflict, as long as they also have a willingness to resolve the conflict) way more than players who keep silent about their desires in order to get along better. That never works out, it just builds up negative feelings over time. I would like a way to let the players know "communicating desires" is a requirement, and I would like to be able to do so both outside the guild/before they sign up and once they are in the guild.

I also think players who want to get along above all else and without goals in mind might not belong in my guild, or they'd have to genuinely be the type who goes with the flow (rather than "put up with it") to belong.

And I want players who are tolerant enough of cultural differences that they won't bully guild members for it. I've seen the type, I don't want them. And just generally don't be a douche.

To sum up, I need them to communicate their wants and availability clearly and to be honest about them. I need them obey the rules and not be a douche. I have no reason to care about age or any other such traits, people can be awful or awesome regardless of that.