There are people in this world who absolutely love drama. I don’t know why but they are out there and they are evil. No, I’m not talking about your schools theatre department, or any of the local playwrights out and about in your town. Those people are cool… probably, whatever. No, the people I am talking about are the ones who absolutely love to stir the pot and make sure that whatever good mojo you had going gets completely clusterfucked. You know the kind of people I am talking about; they make a big deal out of nothing, demand something from somebody else, talk shit behind somebody’s back, etc. They are out there and chances are they hate you. So it comes as little surprise that our MMOs are no escape from these same people.
Guild drama is nothing new to MMORPGs. Hell, I remember playing a MUD back in 1997 on AOL and there being some sort of guild drama. I don’t remember the specifics, but it was annoying back then just as much as it is today. Because of this, I have decided to offer my advice on this sensitive subject in the form of Do’s and Do Not’s. Following these helpful hints you can rest assured that your game will be all the more enjoyable:
Do Not attempt to reason with any of the involved parties who started the guild drama. Chances are there were at least two of them and if they get a chance they’ll try to drag you into it as well. They are guild destroyers, and they’ll have no remorse in taking you down with them.
Do try to diffuse the situation through other means. Often times if you do something so completely bizarre, or weird it will keep attention away from the drama. Drama thrives off of attention and if nobody cares then nothing will come of it.
Do Not take a side in the drama. This should really be a no-brainer but I still see it all the time. What good is going to come of taking a side in drama? It’s like throwing shit at a shit-monster. He likes it and your stuck with more shit. Having more people involved in guild drama only creates more tension and more conflict.
Do talk to the guild leadership. If you aren’t the guild leader, and you know that the guild leader isn’t actually involved in the drama make sure it comes to his/her attention. A quick boot to the drama starters is always the best remedy.
Do Not whine about the drama. First off, whining doesn’t solve anything. Second, nobody likes whiners. Take control of the situation if you have to, but do so with enough force and gusto that people believe you are in charge and in control. Anything less than that and your guildmates won’t take you serious.
Do leave the guild. If all of the above has failed then that means there is not much else for you to do. I suggest you pack up and take off from the guild before you get caught in the implosion that was once your friends.
These methods aren’t scientifically proven but they can help the situation. There is nothing worse than having to see your guild fall apart due to these people. On my WoW server, alone, I saw this happen about 6 times and each time I heard the stories of how it went down. So, not to sound all hokey or anything, but only YOU can prevent guild drama.
Thanks for reading.
Kudos to WoWDrama for the photo.
I like the misdirection idea. In general, adults are almost as easy as children to distract from their whining, if you’re any good at it. I’m sure it’s much harder through the internet, though, since you can’t interrupt.
Some people are good at talking fast. If you can keep talking without any pauses for a while, dominating the conversation like that can end the conversation. It works well to end silly melodrama. But, again, it probably works better face-to-face.
But every once in a while, you get someone who’s so self-dwelling that they’ll restart the melodrama days after the first cry.