Changed View: Clans and the People Who Join Them

I’ve been thinking about clans and cliques this week in relation to video games...and gaming in general.

I’m a member of a couple of clans here and it is a brand new experience for me. I’ve never really joined them before. I’m pretty quiet in the ones in which I am a member right now too. I check our forums but I haven’t quite figured out how to jump into things. But then, I think in part I’m having left over nerves. See, I was always hesitant about joining clans – I saw them as glorified cliques.

Generally speaking I’ve found people like “boxes.” We like to easily classify people and things in categories so that we have a comfort level or expectation with them. We “know” how to treat them. We create boxes based on criteria and then make a general assumption based on that about how we will thereafter treat others that fit the criteria of that box.

I fully recognize the necessity of this skill for parts of everyday living, but as a general principle I don’t like boxes. I think when people put themselves or others in boxes it creates limitations and narrows vision. Once people label someone or something in a certain way they tend not to allow for change or growth, nor recognize that there can be more than the one view held. I saw clans as sanctioning people to create boxes for selves and others through game-playing or game interest in order to create hierarchy.

In addition, over the years I have read messages that justified spouting hateful, sexist, racist, elitist, ignorant or just plain cruel comments and beliefs as "friendly fun." Now if your humor is broad enough to encompass it, I believe in some situations statements that could be considered any one of those listed qualities can be made and received as good-natured trash-talking or jest. I am not one who is easily offended and I can see how it can be fun and give a sense of comraderie to speak scandalously between members of your clan or even talking with a rival clan. But there is a difference in how that is expressed and received that shows everyone involved or looking which intent is meant, and messages of friendly competition and good-natured trash-talking were few and far between whenever I looked. People wanted to shock, piss off others and be cruel.

So, I saw clans as a way for some to justify excluding others, create ego-stroking hierarchy, cliques and sometimes sanction bully behavior. Even if someone told me that their clan was different or friendly I figured it was only a matter of time before they might change into something I didn’t want to become myself. I decided I’d never join a clan.

So what changed?

Well first, I realized that I had been placing clans in a box of my own. I was disappointed in myself as I strive not to be hypocritical. I was looking at them through only one view and not a particularly informed one. After all, I had never been in a clan myself. My conclusions were based on posted messages of other clans that were "loud" and seemed dominant to other clans who were less noisy and more consistent in their message of friendliness and fun competition. I dug deeper and acknowledged clans can be competition based or social. In either case they can be highly structured with rules, regulations and expectations or very freeform, low pressure and loose.

Thanks to the clans in which I am a member now, I’m learning another point of the view that I had neglected; clans can be a place to allow you to indulge your interest, to discuss and share your thoughts with like minded people who are looking for other enthusiasts who share their delight. People who join clans aren’t necessarily looking to exclude others, but looking for a place to feel included and be part of building something. They can be supportive yet have bite, wit and snark without the intent to foster division and hate (Please note there are no "fluffy bunnies" in either of my clans!).

There are some clans I’m sure that are intent upon being exclusive and being …jerks. I suspect for them the definition of clan is limited to this purpose and any other viewpoint is weak or stupid. If you prefer this view – that’s your choice. For myself, I’m glad that I was able to challenge and expand my view otherwise I think I would be missing out on getting know some fantastic people and have some great experiences. I get it. Clans don’t have to mean cliques. They can mean community.

Now I’m still learning and growing, but I believe I would eventually like to join one more clan, one that is friendly but competitive. I’d like to compete in skill-based games, talk some off colored trash and be part of a team that hopefully wins more often than not, because let's face it: bragging can be a whole lot of fun. I can see now that such clans exist and they are more pervasive than I had realized or allowed myself to believe.

Thank you to The Cabal and Diversity for teaching me something pretty valuable.

Are you in a clan? Do you love it or hate it? Would you never join one? Are there more lessons I need to learn about clan culture? Is your clan one that others misunderstand? Do you think I’m way offbase? Is an expectation of not being hateful unrealistic given the diversity of clan members? What makes a good clan good to you? Let me know!

And thanks for looking!