The Guild Beyond The Game: Part I
A Brief History of Guilds
By Merriandra Eldaronde

They clung together, despite the sweeping rain and howling winds that threatened to tear their cloaks from their shoulders. There were at least a dozen weary travelers who stood atop the hill, high above the sleepy town.

Once upon a time, a guild leader who moved away from a city or town would truly have left his guild members physically and socially behind. Just as, in the early years of the MMORPG, a guild leader’s departure from a virtual world almost inevitably signaled the loss of contact with his or her guild members, unless their real-world ties preceded the establishment of the online fraternity. My, how our virtual communities have changed, just as technology has reshaped our personal and professional lives outside the bounds of the MMO.

There are at least two definitions of the word “guild” that can be applied to the modern concept of a guild: an association of people with similar interests or a medieval trade organization. There are several other definitions which are more scientific, and so less apropos to this discussion. The word itself may be traced back to the 14th Century and the Middle Dutch word “gilde”, but historians also argue that the first recorded “guilds”, so-called for the gold deposited in their common funds, existed as early as the 9th Century.

Historically speaking, guilds began as trade organizations, to protect the intellectual and property rights of artisans such as stonecutters and glassblowers. Although these organizations seemingly had their roots in religious fraternities that relied on a code of ethics, the Catholic clergy soon came to frown upon guilds because of the oaths which their members were required to take, binding artisans together, and promising support in the face of adversity. The 12th Century saw the advent of a more modern guild structure that were the equivalent to today’s business organizations, such as the American Bar Association (ABA) or the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).

In France, guilds were known as “corps de métiers”, or divisions which might today be termed contractors and subcontractors. These “corps de métiers” eventually became the modern “corporation”. When suburban expansion, coupled with the formation of more formal political and apolitical organizations, such as unions, eliminated the niche originally established by the guild, the term “guild” became less oriented toward trade and professions, and more of a social group.  In the years of America’s expansion and settlement, women formed quilting guilds and cooking guilds to provide a sense of belonging and share information about what might have been considered common household chores, but instead became social events.

The guilds that the typical MMORPG player identifies, however, have little to do with trades and everything to do with the specific expectations within the game. Early in their evolution, in games such as Ultima Online and Neverwinter Nights, players came together around the most social aspects of gaming, and the structure of guilds was a secondary consideration.

By direct contrast, today’s MMORPGs have the ability to produce guilds which not only have customizable organizational structures, but which exist beyond the boundaries of one virtual world. There is no specific feature that allows this cross-pollination of social structures between realms: in fact, there has been remarkably little discussion surrounding issues as they relate to the use of similar or identical guilds and guild structures in multiple worlds. Frankly, the lack of claim to any intellectual property in this area makes sense, since the overarching structures throughout history, such as monarchies, organized religions, political structures, etc., have all been duplicated many times over. 

Whether the guild itself follows regimented or relaxed rules surrounding every aspect of game-play, certain types of guilds seem to be a requirement, and any good guild system will be structured to allow these same types of guilds to exist. There is a place in every realm for guilds that raid every night alongside guilds that raid once a week, or once a month. There is room for the role-players’ guilds, the crafters’ guilds, and the hard-core gamer guilds. There is also a place for the groups of friends who have been together for years and don’t care about mechanics alongside those who ally themselves in order to improve their play style and skills.

Regardless of the type, or types, of guild you have chosen to join, you may have found yourself wishing that you could meet your fellow guild members in person. There are guilds that organize annual meetings, independent of a larger fan gathering. There are guilds where using voice communications programs such as TeamSpeak or Ventrilo is required. Most guilds have found it practical to establish message boards, and even chat rooms, outside of the game itself.

Over the next four weeks, we will look at some of the guilds which have gone beyond the bounds of one specific realm, and I will examine what has held these guilds together. Is it the challenge of a new game always around the corner? Is it the common demographics of the guild members? Or have some guilds grown beyond a social community into an actual organization with goals to be met in multiple arenas?

They clung together, despite the sweeping rain and howling winds that threatened to tear their cloaks from their shoulders. There were at least a dozen weary travelers who stood atop the hill, high above the sleepy town. They watched as the storm raged and their own… voices echoed through the microphones on their headsets, or attached to their monitors. “I really hate waiting for the named to spawn. I’m going to grab a cup of coffee, just yell really loud if he pops!”