Raiding offers both the best and worst parts of MMOs, and it's come a long way through the years. It's worth taking a step back, and spending some time with the ghosts of raiding -- past, present, and future. In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll do just that!
The ghost of raiding present
Let's begin with a quick look at raiding today. It's changed a lot, and the best way to describe it is something a friend told me about motherhood. She said, "it doesn't get harder or easier, just different." That's true of raid content. Scripts add challenge, but add-ons make certain aspects easier (like no longer needing that egg timer). Instancing makes content more accessible, but capped raid numbers forces some to have to sit out. Ready checks didn't exist, and it was a safe bet that at any given moment on your raid, at least five or six were afk'ing (especially those necros!) There's much more information and many raid resources available now, but to some extent, raid content is designed around the notion that players already arrive at the content with lots of experience and knowledge of basic raid mechanics. Raid leaders have to tackle a different set of challenges than they did years ago, and the playbook from 1999 doesn't look at all like today's version.
Raid leaders are picky today because they pretty much have to be. They have to select the best because the content demands it. When you only have room for a certain number of raiders, you have to weigh the risks of bringing less geared or less skilled players on a raid, and whether you want to roll the dice on your chance of success. To me, it was almost always worth it, but to some, it's not, and understandably so.
The one thing that remains the same, though, is that only a small percentage of players actually participate in the endgame. At times, raid content has been made more accessible, but very few players and guilds actually complete all raid content from each game update.
The ghost of raiding past
How exactly did we get to where we are with raids and endgame? What's astonishing is how we pretty much fumbled our way there, and there wasn't really even a conscious decision to have something called a raid early on. Dragons in EverQuest for example, weren't really intended to be raided by players, and players didn't have any pre-conceived notion about what raiding was about. Early on, it was basically a gathering of every level 50 on the server (there weren't many), with a bit of zerging, a random at the end for loot (no DKP yet), and lots of surefire drama at the end. The newness brought about many issues, some of which were solved by game designers, while others were handled by the players themselves.
Early on, raiding was much more inclusive, and there was always room for one more. There was a lot less movement overall, partially because the encounters weren't as technically scripty, and partially because trying to coordinate movement in a 100+ raid force was like trying to move a beached whale. There was a dps check of sorts back then, but it could be countered with the carefully executed strategy of "fling more bodies at it!"
The ghost of raiding future
For those that view raiding as fingernails on a blackboard, take heart. There are plenty of hints at what's to come, and there's a good indication that endgame won't look the same years from now. MMOs have churn rates, and so do guilds, especially raiding guilds. Over time, raiders tend to change how they view raiding, because the gear stops being exciting after years of replacing uber drops. They raid to play with friends, or they get burned out on raiding completely. Guild leaders who have lasted for years will probably tell you that their rosters look much different from year to year. Some who leave do end up coming back later on, but there's always a percentage that reach a point with endgame and move on.
Another reason it won't look the same is because the playerbase is changing. It's no longer the just young male that's gaming, and MMOs are adapting to a wider variety of players (and playstyles). Even those "young male gamers" from years ago are now "mature gamers," with families, responsibilities, and (hopefully) different priorities when it comes to gaming and raiding. There's also generation of gamers growing up right now, who are really the first generation to be raised on MMOs. As they enter the world of "adult MMOs," you can bet that they'll question some of the things that we have always assumed are part of what makes an MMO. There are sure to be some complaints from those who feel that catering to the newer demographic will lead to a "dumbing down" of raiding, but I think we're getting to the end of the day when content is made only for the one percent of one percent.
I think raiding and endgame is still in its early infancy, and clearly there are still lots of issues to be ironed out with the quality of gameplay once you hit the level cap. Plus, some areas could definitely use a second glance. What's exciting is that technology has enabled game designers to create some pretty sophisticated content compared to what was available early on. But the real challenge is making endgame content that appeals to a wider percentage of MMO players, yet still offers the challenge that makes raiding so compelling.
Do you have a guild problem that you just can't seem to resolve? Have a guild issue that you'd like to discuss? Every week, Karen Bryan takes on reader questions about guild management right here in The Guild Counsel column. She'll offer advice, give practical tips, and even provide a shoulder to lean on for those who are taking up the challenging task of running a guild.
