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Perfect World Philippines: I quit!

by Joel on June 22nd, 2008

No, I didn’t quit from the game. I just quit from my clan. But before I go into details, let me tell you a little about what has happened this past week.

The storm, Frank, hit this part of the Philippines so hard that power was knocked out Friday morning and stayed that way until last night. But the power outage was nothing compared to the relapse. What relapse? Well, I was sick before the storm hit, but recovered Thursday evening, enough to squeeze in some work and a little play. When Friday and the storm came roaring in, I found myself sick again because I got drenched.

Enough of my woes. I’m here to tell you about my resignation as founding member of the Guardians, a Perfect World Philippines’ Tiger Server clan. Oh, yeah, it’s nothing new. I’ve left several times in the past due to disagreements with some clan members and officials. This time is different, though. I don’t think there’s any chance of me going back.

It’s really tough seeing the clan you’ve helped build from scratch falling back into the dustbin. Here’s what happened. Due to the escalating tension between clans on the server, the Guardians’ leadership decided to recruit members from ally clans Fidelis and Decima. Nothing wrong with that right? Especially considering Fidelis and Decima’s fight is nearing an end with the depletion of their territories by Exiled, which is the uncontested powerhouse of the server.

What’s wrong is hiring the “wrong” kind of players. By wrong, I’m talking about powerful but unscrupulous players who frequently talk trash, have no regard whatsoever for authority or girl players, and have questionable reputations or personalities. I’m not being self-righteous, putting myself on a pedestal and washing my hands of any wrongdoing. Hell, I’ve been there, done some things I’m not particularly proud of, but nothing so extreme as to earn the ire of clanmates.

In the Guardians, the recruitment is being handled by three individuals—the marshal, one major and one captain. It’s their job to see to it that the ranks are filled to the brim and that these new members comply with the rules their forebearers put in place. Unfortunately, there have been times that the marshal acts alone, without bringing a prospective member before a committee to face scrutiny, and this is where the problem begins. No screening, no interview, no background check. To his credit, I’m sure the marshal only wants what’s best for the clan. But when a member he has recruited into the fold turns nasty, even to the point of damaging the reputation of the clan, then who should be blamed? Thus, the dilemma of the two other clan officers who are supposedly tasked to screen potential members.

The day after my wife, who plays the yuling (elf priest) Cesky, left the Guardians because of an argument with a new member recruited by the marshal, sans screening, interview and background check, I had a meeting with the recruitment officers. I was in the meeting because 1) the problematic recruitment issue involves the spat between my wife and the erring recruit, 2) I am (rather was) a founding member of the Guardians, and 3) someone just had to speak up for the clan.

At the meeting, I voiced my opinion about the recruitment process, suggesting the removal of the marshal from recruitment duties and forming a committee to screen recruits. No one opposed the idea, save the marshal, who seemed hellbent on holding onto the reigns of the recruitment purportedly because it gave him power over the new recruits. So insecure. Perhaps he’s still smarting from the idea that he’s only marshal because the clan master is his cousin. What’s even more sickening is knowing that this marshal has been opposing most of the clan’s most daring decisions, including the invasion of Sword City (conquered late last year), the alliance with IPX (which later became Decima after it merged with another beleaguered clan, the Dragoons), and, gasp!, the formation of Guardians itself (I remember the marshal telling his cousin that “it would never become a strong clan”).

No, Mr. Marshal, the issue is not about you (if you’re reading this). The issue is about the recruitment process and the unscrupulous individuals you have managed to let in, whether wittingly or unwittingly, into the clan I and my wife have helped build. Yes, your lineup is indeed stronger, perhaps even enough to counter the advance of mighty Exiled, but at what cost? Eventually, order will breakdown, and who will be left to follow orders and see plans to fruition?

The Guardians, during happier times.

Screenshot grabbed from the Guardians’ Friendster. Perfect World is published in the Philippines by Level Up! Games and developed by Beijing Perfect World Co. Ltd.

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POSTED IN: Asian MMO, Asian MMO Players, Level Up! Games, MMO-Etiquette, MMORPG, MMORPG News, My World, Perfect World