<!-- if (!document.phpAds_used) document.phpAds_used = ','; phpAds_random = new String (Math.random()); phpAds_random = phpAds_random.substring(2,11); document.write ("<" + "script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript' src='"); document.write ("http://ads.tentonhammer.com/adjs.php?n=" + phpAds_random); document.write ("&amp;what=zone:93"); document.write ("&amp;exclude=" + document.phpAds_used); if (document.referrer) document.write ("&amp;referer=" + escape(document.referrer)); document.write ("'><" + "/script>"); //-->

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines the word guild as follows:
“: an association of people with similar interests or pursuits; especially : a medieval association of merchants or craftsmen”

Simple, no? Yet when it comes to the creation of guilds, there seem to be some things that aren’t accepted by the community entirely. A GLBT Guild, or, unabbreviated, a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual guild, isn’t met with much flaming or general negativity, save perhaps from conservatives and homophobes who might throw in a charcoal or two. A Christian guild, Muslim guild, or any other various religious guild is far more often met with flaming and general dislike among fellow community members.

Why is that? Role-players join RP guilds to role-play. GLBT Guilds are there for the homosexual, bisexual, and transsexual community. Raiding guilds are joined by fellow players who love to raid, joined as a united raiding force. A Christian Guild’s members would be united through their Christianity. Don’t each and every one of these examples fit the definition of a guild geared for MMORPGs? Each guild is nothing but an association of people with similar interests and goals. That’s why the individuals choose to join the guild in the first place.

So why attack the formation of a religious guild? Why have an obvious and overt dislike for the guild and its members? Are people afraid that the members will come knocking on their virtual doors and shove a virtual Bible and holy water down their throat, all the while shouting angrily “THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!”? Or perhaps they would be afraid that a religious guild would come bombing and killing their characters. Or, goodness no, the Flying Spaghetti Monster will attack you with its followers, the Pastarians yelling “RAMEN!”?

A GLBT guild could be used as an example in much the same way. Does the community fear that they will turn into a homosexual if someone from that guild walks by or gets too close? Or perhaps they fear that the guild will begin trying to lobby for gay rights in MMORPGs, boycotting in-game quests that only involve getting a man and a woman together for the special Valentine’s Day events?

Each of the above examples of guilds is nothing more than the exact definition of a guild in the dictionary. The Christians, or the gays, or the raiders, or even a small tight-knit group of friends form guilds to share similar interests and pursuits. We live in a society where labels are attached to anyone and everyone. Do you not like societal labels and decide to rebel against them? You’re now considered a rebel, and rebelling against labels has gotten you a new label, in addition to your religious, racial, marital status, annual income, and other labels.
           
Why not, then, wholeheartedly support any guild who has come under a unified banner, or is in pursuit of coming under one banner because they are labeled as such, whether it’s a label they have given to themselves, or a label that others have placed on them? Are only a limited number of similar interests acceptable to form a guild or social organization around, while others are not?

Some can argue that you shouldn’t bring those aspects of real life over into a simple game. But for many, MMORPGs are more than just a game: they are a lifestyle. You make friends for life, spouses for life, and everlasting memories in the virtual worlds developers have created for us. They are so very much more than a mere game to many who have chosen to become part of a virtual world.
           
Because online communities are more than just pixels, aspects of the real world are brought into these games, including religious guilds, or perhaps something as far-fetched and uncommon as a dog owners’ guild. Don’t most role-players enjoy role-playing in real life? When they RP their characters, they are role-playing IN REAL LIFE, but their characters are in a game, acting as if that virtual world is the only world they know. Should role-playing guilds, then, be eliminated or discouraged because they bring aspects of real life into a “mere game?”

All arguments against the formations of various guilds based on styles, structures, and overall interests are wholly invalid, whether they are religious or not. So what if they’re Christians, or Muslims, or Buddhists? Does it matter if they are homosexuals, bisexuals, or transsexuals? They are united under a single banner of a common pursuit and shared trait, background, or preference. When they form a guild under this banner, they are a part of a guild whether you like, or even simply tolerate, their interests and pursuits or not. They’re a part of a guild that has just as much right as any other, and that’s all there is to it.