As you may have realised, many of the team here at the Worldwide Games Database are gamers, you could probably say Hardcore Gamers too, and we have been in and played a large variety of games. But one of the core concepts of an MMO game is playing together. There are several different ways you can bring people together in a game, but one of the easiest is to let them make a guild, or community that can play together, hang out and in some cases compete together.

The basic idea of a guild is to provide a place for players to talk to each other. In its basic form it is a dedicated channel where all of the members can talk to each other at the same time. You can also see which members of the guild are online and playing, and where they are. This alone helps to create a sense of companionship and lead to real friendships. There are some guilds that have been around for years playing together and you get to know the regular members.

But there is more to it that just chatting to people, guilds can provide many benefits in a world. In almost every game, no matter if it is an RPG, RTS or FPS game you will see people looking to join groups, or people offering places in guilds that provide services, such as helping out with group content, providing funds or items that new players need to be able to advance. One of the first things you will see about a guild is the tag, or name that they use. This will be displayed with the player name too, so you can identify them as being a member of that organisation.

Belonging to a well respected or well known guild is actually a pretty good feeling. People react to you in a different way, treat you with a respect that comes with having accomplished something in any given MMO game. This becomes more relevant when your guild is well known within the community. Known for being the most powerful group, or one of the guilds that kill raid bosses before anyone else. But there is also a responsibility when you wear a guild tag above your head, a way to behave because you represent the guild in the game too. Many guilds have codes of conduct in place, and take action if you break them, removing you from the guild or other punishments related to the game.

Almost every guild or organization is formed with a goal in mind, whether that is helping people level or being the elite guild that clears all the end game raids or missions first. Knowing which kind of guild you are looking for, or entering into also gives you an idea of how you will fit into it. If you are intent on being the best, and being recognized for it then a low level one that only play for fun probably is not the right home for you. But when you do find a guild that fits what you want out of the game you will find it opens up a whole new range of options.

In almost every Strategy and RPG game there is an end game or group content that you just can not do alone. A guild provides a group of people to go and do things with, whether it is a dungeon or particularly powerful enemy to defeat. Games will reward you with new items, or further progression when you complete these and common benefits is always nice when you work with friends. You are also a lot more likely to get help from members of your own guild than from strangers, though that is not to say you won’t find helpful people in any game. When you look at the end game content for MMORPG’s you have to work as a larger group.

Raiding is one of the main reasons to join a guild in the modern RPG game, and there are guilds that are very good at it. Being so good they have a certain skill level requirement to enter, where your personality may matter less than how good a player you are. These guilds are at the cutting edge and there are some very big names who are also still looking for new members. But in every game there are levels, and some guild take a much more relaxed pace or don’t intend to raid at all, they are there purely for the social side, and helping other players out.

Though we have talked a lot about RPG and Strategy games, guilds also have a huge presence in FPS games too, often for similar reasons to the other genres. Though the goals at the end may be different the desire to play with a group of friends is one that brings people together. Running through a maze of streets looking for a bomb is fun, but doing it knowing that your friends is watching your back and covering you is really fun. Working as a tight knit and skilled team in any FPS is both hard to do and brilliant when it works. You just need to watch some of the best teams, or experiment with it yourself to see how amazing it can be. Though a little more competitive than other MMO Games, the core values of a guild remain the same, enjoying yourself with friends.

Many developers have have also created special perks, missions and options for being in a guild. For example in Sword Saga you join a Coalition, where there are special missions that give experience to it, and then you unlock and open new rewards based on the Coalition Level. In Sparta: War of Empires you also have a Coalition, but this time you help each other out with trading resouces or defening your base. These incentives and bonuses being added help to create guilds,but also get players talking to each other. MMO stands for Massive Multiplayer Online, and one of the key features has always been playing with or against other people.

More and more games are providing specific options and benefits to playing together, and this can be really good for the game. The downside is that you are kind of forced to join a guild, and some people just want to enjoy the game by themselves. Although you can complete and play a game solo, that has always been the choice this potential to be missing rewards can put some people off. Though more often than not these rewards are not needed to see the game through to the end. This is especially true in Strategy and FPS games where all you need can be earned solo.

There are also disadvantages to guilds, just as in real life sometimes people just do not get along. In a larger guild it is easier to be there and enjoy the game without doing anything with that individual, but in a small tight knit guild a new person or a falling out can be bad for the whole team. These disagreements can usually be resolved amicably, but you do sometimes see guilds falling apart. Balancing the politics of people from all over the world can sometimes be tough, but keeping people together is worth the effort. Having a clear leadership is important in any organisation and that rings true in games too. Leading or helping to run a guild can be brilliant but it can also sometimes be tough.

Even though some guilds fall apart, or there is the occasional drama among members these groups of players provide a huge range of benefits to its members. Guilds have been around for a very long time, and in every MMO game you find there will be guilds for you to find and join. The sheer survivability of the idea is a testament to how good they can be for the players involved. You can meet new people, make friends, slay epic monsters or compete in world championship E-Sport titles. Being in a guild is fun, doing stuff with other people is fun and that is the main reason guilds are here to stay.