Posted by iTZKooPA on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 - 4 Comments
Tags: elder raiders, server community, social aspects of wow, social awareness
You’ve probably noticed that I’ve been on a bit of a social kick lately, analyzing everything from FarmVille to guild history and how the topics could play out in World of Warcraft. Yesterday’s post only furthered that thinking, leading me to remember the the age old adage of respecting your elders. In our digital land of Azeroth it just doesn’t apply. Few people have any idea who the server first 60 was, which guilds were the premiere guilds back in vanilla, or who contributed the most to the Ahn’Qiraj resource grind. Those who do remember where likely part of the accomplishment, or close to those that where.
To me, the people responsible for these feats should wear them as a badge of honor. They are prideful accomplishments, a show of dedication. Impacting our playground far more than yesterday’s “fun facts” that players may glance at while bored.
You know where I stand, I believe that these feats are something to be looked up to. Something that deserved respect and admiration. However, notice the use of the past tense. The raiders of vanilla WoW are definitely the current raiders elders. They participated in the ancient, some would say more difficult and hardcore, games. But everyone would agree that raiding back then was a different beast. It’s like football before the forward pass was introduced, an entirely new game.
Do they deserve our respect now? Should we look up to these old school raiders like a big brother blazing a trail through our parent’s rules and regulations? Do they deserve that scent of arrogance, or are they relics who’s knowledge in the arts of 40-mans has become truly useless? And what of those players who’ve continued to raid, making the leap from hardcore Naxxramas to dropping the hard mode bosses of ToC? Do they deserve extra respect for their adaptability? Will they be remembered come Cataclysm? Should they be?
As I look in to it more, it pains me to realize how socially unaware players and guilds are of their surroundings, aka their server community, past, present, and future.
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By Kufawl on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Hrm, new feat of strengths, anyone?
By Mmrdkm on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Pioneers were there when the raiding began, and for that the have my respect, since they set up the basis of content progression.Yet, you are only a raider as long as you keep up to date.
If someone comes back from a long break, and pretends to to tank ONY 10/25, etc, the same way they did, back in vanilla … they will get a polite, mind if we do it our way? and send to dps, if they can, if not, i´m afraid a replacement will be required.
No need to be rude, yet you got to keep up with the times. It´s still WoW, but a different kind of WoW.
By Helseth on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I Acctually think that people who could sit there and raid with 39 other people and keep there patience should be givin the higest reguards because its those people who run some of the high end raiding guilds nowadays. Because of the dedication they have, They are far better GM’s new new guys who have no wisdom …. There are my 2 cents.
By denalo on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtvIYRrgZ04 LETS BRING HIM BACK FOR ONY 25MAN!…lol i was 60 when AQ opend. 40 was fun back in the day but i kinda like the new 25’s less of a headache and harder -less ppl means less control-10 man’s = epic