This time of the year brings with it an influx of guild applications from the younger crowd. These applications are often done with zeal and lust for a summer's worth of gaming that is unappreciated by adult players. After all, school's out and what better way to enjoy the good weather than to spend it sitting in front of a computer screen?My guild in particular has seen an increase of the 15 to 18 year old crowd applying to raid with us. Unfortunately many of these applications are not on par with what we're looking for in raider's gear and experience (we're done with the Black Temple and Mount Hyjal, and are working on the Sunwell). Everyone is also 18+ in our guild, and we'd like to keep it that way.
However, we have seen a couple of applications come our way that have stood out from the rest. While these people are young, they have shown excellent communications skills, along with solid understanding of their class and raid awareness. While we have covered applying to a guild before, I think it would be appropriate to talk for a moment about some tips for the younger crowd trying to get into a guild this summer.
First and foremost, be honest about your gear and experience. If you are in full Karazhan gear, you're ready for some Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep action. You're not ready for Black Temple and Mount Hyjal, and definitely not ready for the Sunwell Plateau. While you can still submit applications to those guilds, don't expect them to accept you – it's a long shot. In stead, look for well-established guilds that are working on content that your gear is ready for.
Second, face the facts. Some guilds are going to turn you down no matter what gear or experience you have because of your age. That's their prerogative, and don't linger on it. Instead of becoming upset that people are turning you away because you're young, look at it as a challenge to prove that you don't fit the mold of an "emo teenager" or an "uneducated youth."
Third, always spell check. One of the biggest no-nos in any application is spelling and grammar errors. If you are serious about the guild, and serious about raiding, be serious about your application and make sure it's spell checked.
Fourth, don't commit to more than you can do. Some hard core guilds go for four hours a night five or six days a week. Chances are that as a younger person you're not going to be able to do that reliably. While you might be able to sit in front of your computer for hours at a time, if your parents come calling that you need to go take out the trash – you can't tell them no (and get away with it).
Fifth, look for a more casual approach. The hard core guilds are often times going to be unforgiving of mistakes and miscues on your part, and they're not going to want to spend a lot of time training and gearing someone only to have them leave in four months. Instead, look to guilds that are more casual in nature. They will often times provide a better environment for you, including one that you can be in when school resumes in the fall.
All in all, the best piece of advice is to just think and be smart when applying to guilds. Be honest with yourself and them, and give yourself a lot of options. Don't worry if you get rejected – often times the reasons for rejection are completely out of your control. But at the same time take these tips to heart and don't give them a reason to reject your application.
Good luck in your summer raiding!
For those wondering what the picture is, I suggest taking an evening and watching or reading A Clockwork Orange.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
5-27-2008 @ 8:15PM
schwonga said...
See when I first read the headline and then saw the picture I had a totally different idea of what this was going to be about... young droods crashing servers for not getting in a guild, "special" milk splattered everywhere and some freakish version of 1337 speak being shouted thru the halls of stormwind and undercity. Just thinking of all that gives me the gibblies.
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5-27-2008 @ 8:16PM
Zeplar said...
Oddly enough, guilds always tell me my application is great despite my age (14); it's being a feral druid that gets me kicked out, everyone seems to want resto these days :_(
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5-28-2008 @ 1:02AM
Knucker said...
Wow, this seems to be the opposite for me, lol. I got invited into my guild "because" I was feral. (BTW, I'm 14 also).
5-28-2008 @ 1:16AM
Knucker said...
Oh, also, I'm a trusted tank in SSC/TK.
5-28-2008 @ 6:52AM
Jessierockeron said...
Same here, I'm 14 and I still get into guilds, all I do is tell 'em I'm a great tank, toss in a few smiley faces, show em how well I tank by running an instance with the Guild leader then I'm in.
5-28-2008 @ 5:06PM
Pojupenguin said...
I am only 12 years old, and i consider myself a fairly decent player. I have an epicd out hunter and shadow priest, and working on leveling my shaman (who's currently level 60). I have experience through kara, have downed VR and Mag. On my guild App. i did not state my age, and when someone asked how old i was, i realy didnt want to lie, i told them, and i was instantly /gkicked. Age discrimination is really a terrible aspect of the game.(and no im not that stupid kid that screams in vent all the time)
5-27-2008 @ 8:18PM
Delano said...
"First and foremost, be honest about your gear and experience."
This seems to be something that under-18s in particular have trouble with; I'm not sure why, and can only imagine it's part of a more general immaturity. To take some recent examples from our raiding applications, if you're going to tell us that you have BT/Hyjal experience, it shouldn't turn out that you mean you watched your brother do it on his character, and spammed Sinister Strike on trash while he was taking a bio. If you're going to say that you tanked Illidan on your alt on another server, it shouldn't turn out that that character is in mid-60s blues and has zero Ashtongue rep. Some things are very easy to check, with the Armory, and lying (even if only to impress, or fit in) just demonstrates bad judgment, on top of everything else.
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5-27-2008 @ 9:00PM
brittwilson said...
Agreed. As the recruitment officer for my guild, I have a very simple app. One of the questions is asking for them to provide a link to their armory page, and another a bit farther down is asking if they are geared up in T5 quality gear. Its amazing how many people say yes, and then link their character that is fresh out of Kara, possibly with not even all their pieces upgraded to that point.
Now on this topic, I don't ask how old a player is, but they are required to have Vent, so we find out soon enough. With the initiate setup they are in for a month, it lets us weed put candidates without having to focus on age (though as of late, the people who are on their way out are the younger ones). The biggest problem with the younger people we get is that they cannot contain themselves. If they are not yelling about every "freakin awesome!" thing on vent, they are doing it in /yell, or guild chat. They don't seem to understand the different levels of important information. When fighting Kaz'rogal, I don't need to hear about how the hunter died because he was standing in front of the boss in melee range and got cleaved. That doesn't help the healers hear the tank say he got stunned, and to watch him close.
The biggest thing, like Adam said, is don't take it personally when you don't get chosen because of your age. You have to understand that when you have a guild of all older people, in real life, we don't hang out with people under 18, sometimes even 20. Why do we want to in a game? Its nothing personal, its just like real life.
5-28-2008 @ 1:53AM
Zakk said...
Strange that somebody would lie about that. It's like they're not looking past their noses. What do people think is gonna happen when they jump into Sunwell with their 5-man blues?
5-28-2008 @ 8:47AM
Silverrealm said...
"You have to understand that when you have a guild of all older people, in real life, we don't hang out with people under 18, sometimes even 20. Why do we want to in a game? Its nothing personal, its just like real life."
This is probably the point here... I don't hang around with people 10 + years (sometimes 18), my junior. That would be like hanging around my step brother, and he's mostly annoying. LOL
No offense but I'm not going to talk about things I discuss and joke about with friends my age, with my 13 yr old step brother. Sorry that is disrespectful, and inappropriate.
If it's mutual adults, it's different. When you bring someone who is below the limit per the law for many things, it's hard to relate to them, and it's uncomfortable having to be on guard.
Not to mention, you need to understand that you have little to no real world experience and forming social circles with people who are older then you are. That will come by the time you are in your mid to late twenties... it's a fact. Sure you might be mature for your age and courteous... but I have never seen an under 18 kid know when to draw the line. They eventually over step, and in the real world of adults... when you over step that line people call you some very nasty names, and you are pretty much ostricized. Some people don't care if they are hated, but in this GAME, that is the opposite of what you are aiming for. Especially when making a good impression to get into a guild/group.
5-27-2008 @ 8:45PM
KyoKenshin said...
I haven't even read the article yet but I've gotta give you some geek cred for using the gang from A Clockwork Orange. lol.
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5-27-2008 @ 10:44PM
Jubahl said...
Are you ready for a bit of the old ultraviolence?
5-29-2008 @ 8:03AM
Meroth said...
I'm not sure the suggestion to see the Clockwork Orange is really appropriate for under 18, to who this article is addressed. It's X rated in USA, 18+ just about everywhere, and even banned in several more conservative countries. For all those who get the thrills and run to check it: no, it's not p0rn. It's a deep story about the human psyche, free wil, morality, etc.
5-27-2008 @ 9:14PM
Nizari said...
FYI, definitely read the book instead of, or in addition to, seeing the movie. While the film is excellent, it does not include the events of the last chapter (which was excluded in the original American publication), events that completely change the meaning of the book.
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5-27-2008 @ 11:29PM
ErsatzPotato said...
That final chapter wasn't included in US editions until (I think) the early 90s, so for those in the US who read it long ago, definitely get a modern copy for a reread.
5-28-2008 @ 6:07AM
killgorth said...
Indeed the book is good, however the contrasts created by the soundtrack make the movie worthy a viddy. And remember "Initiative comes to thems that wait"
5-27-2008 @ 9:18PM
Saiforune said...
I despise 18+ only guilds like yourself. You look at me and say he's got great gear and he Might be a great player but since he's not 18 he can't join us. I am 16 and this is complete and total bullocks on an age requirement. Then again I realize the importance of having a life and school and a job that I can't miss to raid everyday for 5-8 hours.
People like you make me sick. You need to have the ability to look at the player's gear and make a judgment based on that rather than age.
Great topic to talk about by the way. Honestly I stopped reading at," Everyone is also 18+ in our guild, and we'd like to keep it that way."
You are a Grade A douche bag. Go smoke that joint you're rolling and take a good look at yourself jerk. You need to be considerate of other players and actually make an assumption on their gear level.
IF the player is in kara epics it's best to take that and add a boss in the next isntance to that gear experience. My main when I raided has SSC gear but I had done the easy bosses like A'lar and Void Reaver countless time but never saw that gear drop. I stopped there, because I gained a WONDERFUL girlfriend and school was soon to be starting. Oh and Let's not forget the 18+ only guilds out there that literally forced me to stop my progression.
The gear issues isn't as bad now, because players have heroic badges, but that is a double edged sword on telling whether that player is a constant heroic runner or an actual raider. Though if you spent more than a minute at the badge vendor you could tell the level of skill that player has.
I hate to say it but in the case of WoW guilds who are accepting applications need to seriously evaluate the character's gear and then run a heroic or a basic raid to get an idea of that player's ability.
BUT it's jerks and queers like you who would look past ALL of that and glare at the player's age and throw away an application, because of such fact that the player is under 18 or 21.
Take a good look at life buddy and how your generation has effed up the U.S. It's because of your generation that I have to pay $4.00 for a gallon of gas. And you think you are so HIGH and mighty because he/she is interested in joining an active and interesting and well organized raid group that one kid who is younger than you can't join because you can't look past their age and decide if they would be a valuable member to your raid.
I give you a two thumbs up. HOW DARE YOU give tips while being so HIPOCRYTICAL! I don't care if you want to help someone, but PLEASE stop being such an elitest mother effer who can't wait to talk about his recent sunwell kill or how many warriors you have, and actually talk about something that you are WILLING to change about yourself instead of helping the "noob" guilds that are lower than yourself because, " HA I R OVAH 18 I CAN RAIZ lulz AND Get Some GOOD FINGER-LICKIN' PHat LEwLTz Cause I R Bettah DAN PeoPle WHO Lets 16 YeArS OlDz In 2 RaIdZ!"
I APPLAUD ANYONE who can accept and work with someone younger than 18 that looks at their raiding ability and the time they spend on their character to raid. I give a /salute to anyone past TK with a 10-17 Year old in their core raid group.
The Recent Lack of Common Sense on WoWInsider.com has been devastating. Your e-peens have grown too large and need to have a higher standards for your writing and the Bloggers here to to consider the topics that they are bringing up and the Hypocritical comments that they SOOOOOOOO Frequently say. Thank You WoWInsider for losing all sense of morality and the cool interesting things that this website used to Blog about with a such high standard of accountability.
Adam Holisky You Just Moved Up To The BIGGEST Douche bag On WoWInsider.com Right Next To The Other Elistest E-peen Stroking Douche bag Jennie Lees For The SAME Type Of Comments.
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5-27-2008 @ 9:28PM
Balgair said...
Yeah, flinging the insults around is really gonna convince anyone it's a good idea to have kids in their guild. Grats, you just gave all the 18+ only guilds another reason to reject you: that you're too immature to behave decently.
And I speak as someone who usually has no problem with younger people being around, provided they're mature about it.
5-27-2008 @ 9:31PM
Sky_Paladin said...
Your post validates this article. Good job.
5-27-2008 @ 9:34PM
Carolyn said...
This comment demonstrates exactly why guilds don't want immature teenagers. Calling the author a douche over this article? Honestly, you need to recognize when someone is giving good advice instead of launching into a tirade against "the 18+ establishment".
I would tell you to save the drama for your mama, but she doesn't deserve it since she's probably busy folding your tightie whities and cutting the crust off your bread.