This is kind of brilliant

Anexxia over at Bible of Dreams has come up with what I consider to be a pretty damn good idea:

I think we have all at one time or another, watched a hacked guildie's characters silently log on and rob the guild bank dry. Or have been offended by a guildie trolling trade chat, making everyone who wore your guild name plate look bad. Inevitably, these things happen when there aren't any officers on to help deflect the drama.

What if in such a situation, a guild member could initiate a guild kick vote? And if it passed (i.e. the majority of those members on at any given time said yes, or whatever threshold your GM set it at), said member would be demoted to a no-bank access and no gchat capability guild status level, and the next time an Officer logged in, they would have a blinking guild management icon alerting them they needed to read what happened and decide the guildie's fate?

I really have to admit that this is fairly brilliant. While I am not sure how the mechanics of the thing would work out, it could really come in handy for all people involved. Guilds would have a way to regulate issues such as hacking/gbank high jinx without flooding the ticket system, thereby taking up Game Master's time that could be better spent elsewhere.

She goes on to talk about using the same type of interface to set up a system where a quorum amongst the guild officers is needed to boot someone from the guild, thereby preventing some emo-related gkick drama.

The system would prompt all officers when they logged on, alerting them to something that needed their attention.

I'm on the fence about that one, but tend to say "let things be" on this issue. It's one thing to protect the guild from gbank theft due to some hacking/keylogging that went on, it's another to over-regulate social interactions.

If the guild officers need to pow wow on how to handle a certain person, including one of their own, they can do that in /ochat or on the guilds forums (provided they have their own section for these types of discussions).

All in all, some insightful stuff though.

Terrible Ways To Handle Your /Gkick

The work day is over and your just settling into your "pre-raid rituals". You log into WoW, just happy to be off the clock with a bunch of facepalm-worthy stories to tell your friends. Then right before the night's raid, you find yourself in an ominous conversation with the GM.

At some point, you realize what he's trying to tell you: Omfgareukiddingme I'm getting kicked from the guild?

Scary thought, but it's reality for many raiders. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, don't make it worse than it has to be. Here are some things to remember when facing removal from your guild.

Oh who the fuck am I kidding? These will go in one ear and promptly out the other, but this will make for good reading so shut the fuck up and pay attention.

1. Don't Take It Personally

This isn't a personal attack. It's just raiding. Don't turn the situation into a confrontation and don't ever consider making it physical. It's bad enough that you're unguilded: you don't want to be thrown in jail too. Plus, your GM could probably wipe the floor with you IRL. You don't want to be /gkicked and embarrassed.

2. Don't Start Droppin' Dimes

Don't rat on your friends and guildmates and don't start pointing fingers. Remember that former guildies are also potential references for future guilds. Your rogue buddy isn't going to hook you up with a name in his brother's guild if you tell the GM he AFKs on trash. Just. Don't. Do. It.

3. Don't Go Falling Apart

Keep your chin up and take the news like an adult. Sure you'd like to cry on the spot, beg the GM to reconsider or bribe him with a variety of sexual favors, but you're just making it worse for yourself. That approach didn't work when you got passed up on that piece of loot, so why would it work now? No crying, sobbing, begging or bribing. Keep your composure and emotions in check.

4. Don't Turn To Sabotage

Once you're out the door, don't start bad mouthing the guild to the rest of the server. You are upset with the /gkick for a reason, you liked the guild and it was a good one. To suddenly trash it just comes off as petty and trite. Word gets around very quickly: guilds will be wary to invite anyone who speak so poorly of their previous guild. What will happen when you leave them? Talk well of your former guildmates—even if they were top-class mouth-breathing mongrels.

5. Thou Shalt Not Steal

If they're nice enough to let you leave the guild on your own terms, don't pillage from the guild bank. It can be tempting, but just... no. If you want the opportunity to join another reputable guild, don't do it. Even if you don't care about your reputation, remember that Game Masters can easily confiscate the stolen items from your inventory. Just stay calm and say your goodbyes.

6. Lay Off The 'Roid Rage

Threatening the GM or guild officers with bodily harm is both a. a crime and b. ridiculous since you probably live 2358 miles away. Just remember that in the end It's just a game. Things are never as bad as they seem.

You should stay in the good graces of your former guildmates. They'll come in handy in the future for references and networking. The most important thing to remember after losing your guild slot is that it's probably for the best.

You were just given a fresh start in WoW. Obviously the relationship had soured, whether you knew it or not, so run with it and make the best of things.

Gamers Need Not Apply

Oh noes!!! Online gamers in the market for a new job may want to skip any mention of “guild master” on their resume.

A member on F13, a forum for game-related news, recounted a recent conversation with an Australian online media recruiter about his hobby of playing online games like World of Warcraft: “I happened to mention I’d spent way too much time in the early 2000s playing online game… He replied that employers specifically instruct him not to send them World of Warcraft players. He said there is a belief that WoW players cannot give 100 percent because their focus is elsewhere, their sleeping patterns are often not great, etc.”

You know what, I really cannot disagree with one single thing they brought up right there. I just can't. I often find myself thinking about what our shitty Mage in Grp B could possibly be doing to only crank out 5k dps on Saurfang when I should be focused on the task at hand.

So it's impossible to just dismiss these concerns as mere folly.

Massively multiplayer online games can require a high level of engagement — players must spend long hours playing to advance their characters and participate in game activities like raids. It’s not uncommon for subscribers to log as many as 30 hours per week.

Though it might not be as common as it once was, with the "dumbing down" effect we have seen steadily infiltrating the game over the last couple of years, to play the game at a high level does require a sizable amount of time.

But on the flip-side of things, other online game enthusiasts, such as Joi Ito, a venture capitalist, have argued that online games can double as a training field for players to hone skills in leadership, teamwork and project management.

Whether or not battling with a level 80 Orc Warrior through dungeons in Northrend translates to real-world talents is debatable, but with the popularity of multiplayer online games surging, it also may be unrealistic for employers to screen for applicants who participate in them.

Simply put, they might find themselves dismissing the majority of the prospective employees before they so much as evaluate their qualifications.

Blizzard, the game company behind World of Warcraft, announced in late October that the number of subscribers to the title had surpassed 11 million players worldwide.

The cult-like fascination with the game has even spawned a World of Warcraft-themed restaurant in China, complete with dishes inspired by the game. Damn gold farmers need a place to kick back I guess.

Some former hardcore gamers have turned their obsessions into full-time jobs. Felicia Day — an actress who has appeared in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “House” and the direct-to-Web sci-fi thriller “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” — has used her gaming addiction to boost her career. Ms. Day, who writes and stars in “The Guild,” a Web series about a group of friends who obsessively play a Warcraft-like game, recently signed a deal with Microsoft to distribute her show across Xbox 360’s Live Marketplace, MSN and Zune.

Still, most of the readers in the F13 comment section shared a similar sentiment: When in doubt about the job compatibility of your gaming alter ego, the best policy might be to stay mum.

As one commenter put it rather bluntly, “It’s like telling them you’re into bondage & sadomasochism or something…once they know they’ll always look at you differently.”

Alright, time to kick this thing off I suppose

I admit it, I am a geek. I have been playing World Of Warcraft for years now and am an avid writer. My good buddy Roger said there seemed to be a marriage in the making if I would just open my eyes.

So here it is, my official WoW blog. This baby is "under construction" but should be up and running, chock full of content soon.