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Xbox Live Clans
By Jim W. Gettys
In team sports, strategy and cooperation are necessary if you want to win. Online multiplayer gaming is no different. Unless you are duking it out mano-a-mano deathmatch-style, you'll have to work with your teammates to compete effectively. Whether it's simply an issue of "safety in numbers" or a genuine attempt at organization, veteran online gamers—men and women, old and young—learn to stick together rather than freelance.
But, before you can have a great multiplayer community, you need a great multiplayer game. Counter-Strike™ for Xbox, the late-1990s Xbox® version of the acclaimed first-person shooter, quickly grew into a prime meeting ground for gaming enthusiasts. Groups could meet and chat in-game, and some of those groups evolved into "clans," semi-formal teams that practice and play together. Some form and dissolve on a daily basis, but others have managed to stick together over the years.
Cooperative and competitive players appreciate the XboxLive "closed" system design, which makes it much more difficult—maybe even impossible—to cheat and hack the system. This provides a good playing field for gamers that enjoy a fair and equitable playing environment. Recognizing this, floods of players have migrated their skills—and their clans—to this new environment. We had the opportunity to chat and play with several well-known clans in the Xbox community to find the secrets of their success.
One clan that's been around since the beginning of the Xbox console is called Illusion of Safety. Its members were downright ecstatic about the arrival of Xbox Live andCounter-Strike. According to Omni, of the Illusion of Safety clan, "The key to staying power is to have a stable foundation for your clan. Too often with clans, egos get in the way—individuals looking out for themselves and their own best interests instead of the clan as a whole. Communication is key."
Omni's technique for weeding out slackers is to implement a mandatory 30-day trial period to evaluate players. During that time, the players’ skills, dedication, and overall behavior are monitored. Those that make the cut have the privilege of competing with the Illusion of Safety team. But, it's not all fun and games. To these guys, it's a serious business in which ill-mannered behavior is not condoned. "Since the very beginning of our clan, we have always been about showing good sportsmanship. Trash-talking to clan mates or opponents isn't something we tolerate."
Vigor from Full Effect, another Xbox Livegaming clan, agrees. "It is against our rules for a member to cheat. I believe that we are the most trustworthy clan on XboxLive because of our principles. I want us to be respected, trusted, and honored." Through a sense of mutual respect and common goals, the Full Effect clan, like its peers, has been growing and spreading to other games as well. One of the clan's goals is to shatter the stereotype that clan members are whiny, smack-talking cheaters. Full Effect members try to respect each other as family.
Another stereotype (ripe for eroding) claims that gamers—and therefore all clan members—are male and usually young, teenaged males. While Illusion of Safety and Full Effect are mostly composed of teen males, I encountered several groups of girl gamers, who are doing their part to improve the diversity of the gaming landscape. One such gamer, LivingDeadGirl from the Girlz clan, began PC gaming after her husband introduced her toHalf-Life. No one knows better than her the forces that can keep women from fully embracing the gaming lifestyle. "I think it is a matter of individual preference, although, since shooter games are marketed towards male players, I don't think that a lot of potential female players are aware of the games or how much fun they are." Despite the fact that marketing-types ignore the female market, she says female clans are alive and kicking. "I have noticed a lot of growth in that area since I first started playing. There are also a lot of co-ed clans."
So, why did she form an all-female clan? "PMS is a serious and dedicated clan, but its primary focus was to provide a safe and competitive gaming community to females," says AthenaTwin from Psychotic Men Slayerz, an XboxLive all-female clan. "We are either extremely loved or extremely hated for being female gamers." It was only by sticking together and proving themselves as skilled assassins that they got the notice and respect they deserved.
AthenaTwin and her sister Athena (yes, they look alike) practice at least five nights a week, often for four or more hours at a clip. They share the same standards as the long-standing male clans—it's better to play fairly and with honor than it is to be a sore loser. "If you ask anyone online that knows me, I hate being mean, and I hate mean people! If that is a typically girls response, so be it … and damn you all! Just kidding. I will actually make people feel bad for trash talking sometimes by putting on my most helpless voice and saying, 'Why would you say something like that to me? What did I ever do to you?' And most of the time, they will apologize and even send a Friends request. Other times, I will rip them apart if my mood isn’t good!" And, sometimes, she'll simply shut them up with her signatureCounter-Strike headshot. I know from experience.
All clans seem to agree that their multiplayer gaming has become more enjoyable through sticking together. Whether shared interests or similar backgrounds were the common link, clan members have found a home on Xbox Live. Good luck finding your niche out there.
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