View From the Bottom #6

In the sixth “View From the Bottom” feature on RPG Vault, Spiderweb Software’s Jeff Vogel provides us with an introductory guide to MMORPGs.

Guilds in online games are sort of like cliques in a junior high cafeteria, but with swords, and not in the real world. The maturity level, backbiting and general level of angst are all the same. Why put up with it? Because, if you get enough people together, you can raid!

This means that you will get a pile of people together (in EverQuest, over 50; in World of Warcraft as it stands now, 40) and go kill really big foes for really impressive treasures. The dragons, Gods, demons lords, and so on you are killing now will require you to coordinate your tactics with dozens of people, instead of a few. Although, in such a horde, it’s much easier to slip away from your keyboard unnoticed to get a Coke. Or watch an entire movie.