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The Daily Grind: Which games make you feel lost without a guild?
There are games I will play happily without a proper guild. I'll happily tool around in Star Wars: The Old Republic or Final Fantasy XIV when I'm between groups, after the old one fades away or doesn't work out for my playstyle. But I'm finding there are other games where the loss of a guild just kills my enthusiasm. There's no reason why I should suddenly stop feeling a push to move forward in Guild Wars 2 without a guild, but that's what happens. For some people, not having a group for endgame content is a dealbreaker, but sometimes it's nothing so transparent. You find that you just prefer having a guild around for roleplaying or chatting or PvP or random instance runs or whatever you like. So which games make you feel lost without a guild? A couple of games? Every game? Or do you keep playing even when your guild isn't there any longer? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: How well do you know your game buddies?
While it's increasingly possible to play an MMO without being forced to interact with others, it's a bit like renting a tuxedo for a trip to McDonald's. Connections get formed (however mercenary they may be at the start) and you find yourself with a circle of friends you play with. Of course, while it's helpful to know who these people are, it's not absolutely necessary to know much aside from their character names and their roles in a group. Some people are content to leave their knowledge of cohorts there; others prefer to go the extra mile and find out the players and personalities behind the avatars. And it can help the play experience to know that Swizzle the Thief is actually a CPA in Gary, Indiana who's thinking about marrying his girlfriend. It's not going to help the group in the strictest sense, though, and getting too attached can lead to some major drama. What about you? Do you tend to know a lot about the people you game with, or would you generally prefer not to know?
