Why do people take Guild reps so seriously

[Holykitten.3064]

I understand it to a certain degree, but I can not run a guild or be in a guild like that.I’ve joined a few guilds that require a certain amount of rep, and found the PvX ones to be worse, and I’ll tell you why. (This is my own personal opinion derived from my own experience)You join a WvW/PvP/PvE exclusive guild, and you stop repping to play other game modes with another guild specifically for that mode, you get the “How come you’re not repping?” Whisper. You tell them you rep in WvW/PvP/exclPvE Guild only because they are an exclusive mode guild, and have another exclusive guild for another mode, and usually it’s all gravy.You join a PvX guild, your explanation is greeted with “but we’re PvX, you should be able to find people in this guild to play with”.

So I stopped joining other guilds to continue to play in my quiet guild, that has one rule (Be excellent to each other). People are free to do what they like, join other guilds that have mode specific advantages, not rep. Doesn’t matter. We’ve got nearly all upgrades anyway now and the important ones are completed, so no player, no matter how casual, has access to the best benefits of the guild hall (Tavern buffs and Workshop)

Some people stick and converse a lot, some just say hi. But if there’s people online, they will offer advice, or join to help if they aren’t doing anything.

[Zedek.8932]

@"Jumpin Lumpix.6108" said:because they are insecure, or they want their guild to rank up, and they dont care about other guilds you might be interested in repping (ie selfish)

Excelsior.

I'd be very interested in further elaboration of:

a) Being an insecure guild/ insecure guild leader for want their members to representing their guild they just joined voluntary and upon their very own desire and application.b) Who is it being selfish for the guild? Isn't it the player that gets more benefit from guild-hopping and thus selfish for not representing?

Since you've got one upvote, I might get at least one answer that I am very interested in.

Being "insecure" is usually a shutdown-term used by internet kids (just like "you are salty", "you are edgy", "you are entitled", "autistic" and such), but once you ask for further explanation, it's usually very shallow or non-existant.The representing requirement is just a logical thing in my view. That's like applying for a job for a certain company but then refuse to wear the corporate identity or refuse to drive the car with the company logo on it because you rather would like to apply in the other company as well. But would your boss want an employee that does not care about the company?

@OriOri.8724 said:The repping doesn't create friendships though, nor social standards.

Do you have any source on that or is it just your personal opinion/experience? I guess it's more the very opposite: I think this goes close to giving things or animals names: As soon as that happens, you are attached and invested more than before. When I met a guildy in the other games we usually stopped and chatted a bit. We had a sense of "we're in the same boat". The guild tag and the name I remembered from the guild chat made me like "Oh hey, it's him/her!". In a multi-guild system, I probably don't even know who that guy is because I've lost track of my FIVE guilds I am in..

[GrubySzymek.1362]

Good question. Guilds are meaningless in this game and it's called guild wars.

[Lanhelin.3480]

Well, if one participates at guild missions, guild commendations and the popping up end reward chest can only be earned when representing that guild. If someone already doesn't need commendations or the loot anymore, then representing while doing the missions also isn't needed ofc.

[serialkicker.5274]

So, you don't want to prioritize the guild, but you expect the guild to prioritize you?

[serialkicker.5274]

@OriOri.8724 said:

@Cerioth.7062 said:I will probably get hate for this but...

My guild requires 90% rep. However, we have some conditions to this. First off, we exclude repping for WvW guilds / raids from this (since we can see if theyre WvWing or raiding). Secondly, if someone has a family / small close friend guild we usually discuss it through and let it be.

Our guild has tried several different methods. No rep, 50% rep, 75% rep, now this 90% rep.

This has brought us the most desirable results. A tight-knit, not too large community fitting for people with a similar mindset. We are happy and proud within our community. If our rep rules dont work for you, no hard feelings. Our main goal is to create friendships and enjoy being there for each other and we have some social standards.

The repping doesn't create friendships though, nor social standards. Not repping the guild doesn't mean they cannot interact with you, it doesn't mean they can't talk in guild chat, or do guild missions, or come to the guildhall, or party up with you.

Its fine if you want a rep requirement for your guild, really. But don't pretend like repping the guild somehow makes the interactions different or more meaningful. Its the same interactions with or without repping. If the person is going to create friendships and be socially active, then they are going to do it with or without the repping. I think this is mostly confirmation bias, in that people more willing to try to make friendships and be active, are also more willing to rep when asked to.

No, it's not. I've been in a lot of guilds and seen opposite of what you're saying every single time. One reason is, if you're advertising the guild with 100% rule there is a higher chance you'll get people who want to commit to one guild and thus all interaction goes with that guild. If you have five guilds and two or three do guild missions on Sunday, who will you join and do missions with? I've had members that had issues with this btw, just so you won't say it's not a problem and I'm making things up.

[Cyprien.4208]

The major reason why children have 100% rep requirement is due to they feel the content they offer in the guild can't carry the guild name.

[Icemanfrost.5428]

@serialkicker.5274 said:So, you don't want to prioritize the guild, but you expect the guild to prioritize you?

I just don't think putting the guild in priority requires me to push the rep button. I will talk almost non stop on all guild channels. I don't think me contributing requires me to push rep button. There are other ways to contribute.

[Turin.6921]

It used to be important for the guild to be repped back in the day. But not anymore. There is no practical reason for anymore but...

Some guilds still cling to the old philosophy of doing things even though the practical reasons are not present any more.

More importantly though there are big social reasons why a guild would reasonably want to be repped by you.

• Having the same tag breeds comradely and helps the guild be more than just a chat room. It is not sufficient alone but helps as long as the guild in general does a lot of things that keeps it community active.
• WvW guilds or raids guilds also makes sense to want repping as a matter of pride and competition when playing the game. WvW guild for example want to be seen by their opponents and help create a banter-friendly, competing environment. The same way in sports everything feels more official and important if the team wears their colors instead of their casual track suits.
• When streaming guild activities for example people want to communicate the skill and discipline of their guilds thus a unified tag can be important. It is a great way to advertise their community and attract even more people to their community. I have seen many judging this as a popularity contest. And although sometimes it is, it is not always the case. That is like saying that sports team or associations or RL communities are being superficial for wearing their uniforms.

It is definitely unreasonable to exaggerate with the repping (especially in more casual PvX guilds) but it is also not unreasonable to demand it at times.

[Lonami.2987]

@Icemanfrost.5428 said:I've only been playing for a month. I noticed people take rep's very seriously. One Guild mentioned how how'd he put people who had Guild Reps in highest priority when they needed help. I have five guilds. I'm supposed pick who to rep and like jealous girlfriends. I noticed some of them will become a little frustrated when I don't rep them. I am a very friendly person. I can only rep one at a time. I'm considering not repping anyone just to give the appearance that I'm neutral.

Representing was useful a few years ago, before HoT removed influence and redesigned guilds.

Nowadays, representation is useless. The only thing you get out of it is a waypoint discount, if the guild you're representing has researched it.

[SkyShroud.2865]

See, the answer is self evident.

Most join guilds for material benefits, not for anything else. I don't get why many in gw2 try so hard to deny that though. There is nothing wrong with that (joining guilds for benefits) but people should accept that there are others that want to play with people who want more than materialistic relationships.

[Cerioth.7062]

@Jumpin Lumpix.6108 said:

@Icemanfrost.5428 said:I've only been playing for a month. I noticed people take rep's very seriously. One Guild mentioned how how'd he put people who had Guild Reps in highest priority when they needed help. I have five guilds. I'm supposed pick who to rep and like jealous girlfriends. I noticed some of them will become a little frustrated when I don't rep them. I am a very friendly person. I can only rep one at a time. I'm considering not repping anyone just to give the appearance that I'm neutral.

because they are insecure, or they want their guild to rank up, and they dont care about other guilds you might be interested in repping (ie selfish)

Hardly. Our guild has all the upgrades we want (level 68 because we dont want to max cloth synthesizer), thus we do not need favor or material contributions from members. We want a guild with meaningful interactions and people genuinely interested in THIS guild and making THIS guild a better place - and it has worked perfectly for us. I have also asked several times the rep preferences from our members and vast majority of them want to keep high rep requirement, even 100%.

Of course our guild does relatively selected recruiting as we are aiming our guild towards specific kind of groups.

If some guilds require representing, how does that harm you? You do not need to be a part of those guilds if you do not want to commit to them.

@Icemanfrost.5428 said:

@serialkicker.5274 said:So, you don't want to prioritize the guild, but you expect the guild to prioritize you?

I just don't think putting the guild in priority requires me to push the rep button. I will talk almost non stop on all guild channels. I don't think me contributing requires me to push rep button. There are other ways to contribute.

Sure, talking in all guild channels is possible. However if you are going to join guild events or such, you have to choose one over the other. Also it is hard to form genuine friendships if you are in say 5 medium sized guilds. We are interested in friendships, not casual acquaintances.

It also feels a lot more united and like you belong in the same guild when you can see your guildies' yellow dots on the map and run into your fellow guildies randomly in the game. Their names wont appear yellow if they do not represent the guild - it takes away some of that feeling of running randomly into a friend in open world as they get lost among the other green names.

[Rasimir.6239]

I'm in different (social) guilds with different friends that don't really have anything in common. I like to pick my own friends, and the GW2 guild system allows me to be a(n active) part of different groups at the same time, chatting in guild chat, paricipating in guild activities, and responding to help requests from fellow guildies of different guilds at the same time. I very much appreciate the luxury this game offers to me of having and bonding with different friends without having to choose just one group of friends exclusively.

That said I mostly represent one of the guilds (where I am one of the co-leaders), but that doesn't really have much to do with how active I am in the guild. It's more or less a habit really ;) . Personally, I try to stay clear of "rep required" guilds as I very much prefer to choose my own social circles depending on many factors of my own choosing rather than requirements somebody else puts on me. But then back in school (many many many years ago ;) ) I was always the one person that prefered to stay out of things rather than being pulled into the "if you play with her you're not my friend any more" drama that seems to be common among teenagers of any generation.

[SkyShroud.2865]

@Turin.6921 said:It used to be important for the guild to be repped back in the day. But not anymore. There is no practical reason for anymore but...

Some guilds still cling to the old philosophy of doing things even though the practical reasons are not present any more.

More importantly though there are big social reasons why a guild would reasonably want to be repped by you.

• Having the same tag breeds comradely and helps the guild be more than just a chat room. It is not sufficient alone but helps as long as the guild in general does a lot of things that keeps it community active.
• WvW guilds or raids guilds also makes sense to want repping as a matter of pride and competition when playing the game. WvW guild for example want to be seen by their opponents and help create a banter-friendly, competing environment. The same way in sports everything feels more official and important if the team wears their colors instead of their casual track suits.
• When streaming guild activities for example people want to communicate the skill and discipline of their guilds thus a unified tag can be important. It is a great way to advertise their community and attract even more people to their community. I have seen many judging this as a popularity contest. And although sometimes it is, it is not always the case. That is like saying that sports team or associations or RL communities are being superficial for wearing their uniforms.

It is definitely unreasonable to exaggerate with the repping (especially in more casual PvX guilds) but it is also not unreasonable to demand it at times.

Actually, isn't practical means feasible? Thus, social benefits are considered as feasible, no? Or do you mean technical reasons in terms of game mechanic?

Sorry, I just can't stand people using terms in a way that I can't logically agree to.

@Lonami.2987 said:

@Icemanfrost.5428 said:I've only been playing for a month. I noticed people take rep's very seriously. One Guild mentioned how how'd he put people who had Guild Reps in highest priority when they needed help. I have five guilds. I'm supposed pick who to rep and like jealous girlfriends. I noticed some of them will become a little frustrated when I don't rep them. I am a very friendly person. I can only rep one at a time. I'm considering not repping anyone just to give the appearance that I'm neutral.

Representing was useful a few years ago, before HoT removed influence and redesigned guilds.

Nowadays, representation is useless. The only thing you get out of it is a waypoint discount, if the guild you're representing has researched it.

It isn't useless as I have explained in previous comment, on previous page I think?

I think many find it hard to understand what is written so maybe I will explain it more simplified manner.

You agree that many guilds out there still demand rep, right? Pve guild will demand you to rep in either pve or events. Raid guild will demand you to rep in raid. WvW guild will demand to rep in wvw. So on and so forth.

If you see from a boarder perspective on how so many guilds still continue to demand rep, it created a mutual exclusive sphere of memberships where members will be unlikely to be two or more guilds that have rep conflicts since the rep conflicts most likely will result being removed from the involved guilds.

Now, let explain it with examples. WvW guild commonly has rep requirement. Depending on their rep requirement, it is not hard to encounter rep conflicts with each other. So, what is the result of the rep conflicts? You eliminate players that is hopping multiple guilds. It is commonly understood that WvW guild want regular committed players.

This can be applied to the whole guild ecosystem. As long there are guilds continue demanding reps, there will be mutual exclusiveness among said guilds and this will continue to eliminate certain type of players that these guilds do not want.

Is it really useless?

[Biff.5312]

I just joined a guild that requires you represent them 50% of the time minimum. The funny thing is, after two days almost continuously doing so, I spent literally 2 minutes on an alt that I hadn't turned on the guild title for and received a warning that I wasn't repping the guild sufficiently and would be booted if I didn't fix it. I found it amusing more than irritating, but it did strike me as extreme. I just put it down to one overzealous officer.

[blambidy.3216]

If you have 5 prioritize them. Make one pve. Another raid. Another pvp or something like that. I remember in the beginning they would make repping even if I wasn’t doing anything with them. Tbh those I would leave. But when doing stuff together with the guild, then I would rep. But if your alone and not with any members rep who you want man. If a guild yells at you for it... leave man. Those are the uptight guilds. And you really don’t want to be part of it.

I only have 3. One is my main guild for 2 years. So if any guild tries to get in the way, I’m gone.

Another is raiding and fractals and pvp.

And the last one is raiding on a different day.

So none ever lands on days i do events with them on. If any guild is stressing you or colliding with a day that you want to do something instead. Leave it and move on. Trust me, unless you made a big impact in the guild, they won’t care. Which that is the sad part. I’ve left quite a few and no one whispered me to come back. So it’s nothing personal.

[serialkicker.5274]

@Icemanfrost.5428 said:

@"serialkicker.5274" said:So, you don't want to prioritize the guild, but you expect the guild to prioritize you?

I just don't think putting the guild in priority requires me to push the rep button. I will talk almost non stop on all guild channels. I don't think me contributing requires me to push rep button. There are other ways to contribute.

That's your opinion that representing doesn't contribute. And since everyone is allowed to have an opinion/preference and thankfully many guilds exist so you can choose, you can just ignore guilds that require 100% represent, if you don't like that.From my personal experience in many guilds, in vast majority of cases, in guilds with no represent rule it seems like no one cares there. It looks like LFG tool basically. So, if you have guild just for chatting purposes with random people most of which you never actually play with, then why not just chat in map chat and look for LFGs?GW2 is the first game I've played where multiguilding is a thing. In all other games I have played, you picked one guild and you were happy with it. Well, if you weren't you changed, but not like people change guilds here. You found the one you liked and you were loyal and tried to do your best to advance and contribute to the guild.In GW2 people change guilds like underwear. A lot of them are casual, they don't want to hear about any commitments, rules or anything else. Just leave them alone and when they will need you (guild), they will say so. But If the guild doesn't respond to their need, they leave. Basically "I'm not giving you any attention, but I will need attention and when I do, I better get it or I will leave." I'm talking here from my own experience running a guild and from experience from being in many other guilds.

So, in the end, yes, 100% representing is not the best thing ever, but it's one of the very few things we have, because guilds and tools for running one in this game are a joke.By putting 100% represent rule as requirement, you get better chances to get people you want to apply for guild. Well, for those that prefer commitment and something more than just big chatroom. So, I don't see why people like that can't make their own guilds with their own rules/preferences/ideas which are all completely OPTIONAL for everyone to accept/agree to.

[Turin.6921]

@SkyShroud.2865 said:

Actually, isn't practical means feasible? Thus, social benefits are considered as feasible, no? Or do you mean technical reasons in terms of game mechanic?

Sorry, I just can't stand people using terms in a way that I can't logically agree to.

I mean it terms of concrete in-game rewards/profit for the guild. But yeah basically in terms of game mechanics.

[Gudy.3607]

@Biff.5312 said:I just joined a guild that requires you represent them 50% of the time minimum. The funny thing is, after two days almost continuously doing so, I spent literally 2 minutes on an alt that I hadn't turned on the guild title for and received a warning that I wasn't repping the guild sufficiently and would be booted if I didn't fix it.This. A thousand times this. I react poorly to social stress, and I do not need that kind of cow manure in my GW2 time. As such, I find guilds advertising their rep requirements immensely helpful - to me it's a clear indicator that I need to stay the heck away from them.

[Icemanfrost.5428]

@Gudy.3607 said:

@Biff.5312 said:I just joined a guild that requires you represent them 50% of the time minimum. The funny thing is, after two days almost continuously doing so, I spent literally 2 minutes on an alt that I hadn't turned on the guild title for and received a warning that I wasn't repping the guild sufficiently and would be booted if I didn't fix it.This. A thousand times this. I react poorly to social stress, and I do not need that kind of cow manure in my GW2 time. As such, I find guilds advertising their rep requirements immensely helpful - to me it's a clear indicator that I need to stay the heck away from them.

I am the same way. I become very stressed very easily. Someone was helping me yesterday. I kept failing. I was about to log out. I'm happy I didn't. She was actually very helpful. She helped me find a ton of stuff even though it became very difficult for me.

[Biff.5312]

I am the same way. I become very stressed very easily. Someone was helping me yesterday. I kept failing. I was about to log out. I'm happy I didn't. She was actually very helpful. She helped me find a ton of stuff even though it became very difficult for me.

Iceman, give yourself a break. It's a game and it should be fun. If you're working on something and not enjoying it, you don't have to do it. There's nothing in this game that is required. You can just opt to do something else. I realize some things may feel mandatory but seriously there's no point stressing. Take your time.

[Jumpin Lumpix.6108]

I don't understand why people have to enforce rules on other people of any kind. Why can't we just let people do what they want, why does everything we want to do have others rules and restrictions endlessly imposed upon us. You would think they would run a guild based on its merit, that their members would want to represent it simply because they like to, not because they are told too - or else.

[SkyShroud.2865]

@Jumpin Lumpix.6108 said:I don't understand why people have to enforce rules on other people of any kind. Why can't we just let people do what they want, why does everything we want to do have others rules and restrictions endlessly imposed upon us. You would think they would run a guild based on its merit, that their members would want to represent it simply because they like to, not because they are told too - or else.

Why you play gw2 then? By playing gw2, you are agreeing to the rules of anet. Don't be double standard on your philosophy.

[Eater of Peeps.9062]

@Ardenwolfe.8590 said:Sadly, some guilds do become a cliquish affair. I have my suspicions as to why, but voicing it would tailspin this thread. Regardless, yes, it may be best to remain neutral, but I promise you someone is going to take offense to it eventually. Honestly? It's part of the reason I remain guildless.

Eventually, and this is only from my experience, but all guilds turn into a popularity contest . . . and I'm not interested in playing that game. I'm more interested in playing Guild Wars 2. :)

Best of luck.

Good luck in the new wvw system - you won't be playing at all as guilds will be the only way you can even enter/play.

[Cerioth.7062]

@Jumpin Lumpix.6108 said:I don't understand why people have to enforce rules on other people of any kind. Why can't we just let people do what they want, why does everything we want to do have others rules and restrictions endlessly imposed upon us. You would think they would run a guild based on its merit, that their members would want to represent it simply because they like to, not because they are told too - or else.

You have the right to not go by the rules that are set by other people. Why should we have laws then either?

Rules is what create a drama-free environment where people can actually enjoy the community and things they do with them.