I was speaking with Captain_Tea earlier today and we were discussing the gap between membership and involvement in Christian gaming groups. Our discussion was specific to Tribe of Judah and how an active Team Fortress 2 server has not yet brought in new and active members to ToJ, but I think the topics raised were timely and relevant to a significant portion of the gaming community.
As I told Captain_Tea, I've seen a shift from clans to gaming communities in recent years. I think of clans as smaller, more tightly-knit groups; I think of gaming communities as larger, less cohesive groups.
To use an analogy familiar to most Christians, clans are like smaller local churches and gaming communities are like megachurches. Having attended both types of churches, I've seen the advantages and disadvantages of both.
Megachurches offer more ministry opportunities, enjoy increased funding, and can afford larger outreach efforts. Smaller local churches make it easier for members to get involved, can be less intimidating to non-Christians or new Christians, and are usually led by leadership more approachable than one will find at a megachurch.
Just as the megachurch trend gained momentum in the United States in the 1950s, it seems the trend of the megaclan has emerged in the last few years.
In megachurches, many members show up on Sunday morning, sing along with the choir, listen to a 45-minute sermon, and slip out before the offering plate is passed. Rinse and repeat.
In megaclans, many members join, read the information posted for new members, play on a clan-operated game server for a season, and duck out when clan leadership starts asking members for donation to keep that clan-operated server online. The player joins a new megaclan--the flavor of the week--and repeats the process.
Both megachurches and megaclans offer opportunities for involvement, service, and leadership. Unfortunately, megachurches and megaclans both soon discover that, in most circumstances, it's a small group of members that fund the organization and determine its direction.
In a society characterized by an unfounded sense of entitlement, it's no surprise that Christians and gamers alike look for groups that offer something without requiring something in return. In the immortal words of Janet Jackson, "What have you done for me lately?"
A small local church is going to take notice when you don't show up on Sunday. They may call if you're gone for a few weeks to see if you're okay or if you need prayer.
A small clan is going to notice when you drop their clan tag and stop playing on the clan-operated server.
A megachurch is probably not going to notice when someone who only shows up on Sunday morning stops warming their Sunday seat.
A megaclan probably won't notice when you start playing on another server with lower latency or those custom maps you like.
I suppose I'm conflicted on the issue. I'm a member of a small local church, but I'm the leader of a Christian gaming group with 953 listed members (as of Dec. 10). Less than half of those are active and only a small percentage are involved. I've lost track of the number of times I've posted volunteer positions on the forums and had no response. I've often compared getting people to volunteer to pulling teeth, all the while assigning those few who do step up to help out two or three staff positions. (Just ask SirThom, the Man of Many Hats.)
I want to make Tribe of Judah welcoming to new members and I want to bring game servers online for our community, but if people won't get involved and if they won't donate funds, what am I to do? The opportunities are there, but most people don't make the effort to post on the forums or donate their time or money.
The community will only receive what the community will support.
Personal viewpoints aside, the emergence of the megaclan has interesting implications for the gaming community at large. What does this trend mean for competitive gaming? Will the trend present new challenges for smaller clans? Am I just imagining this all--is the smaller clan really in decline and is the gaming community really on the rise?
Please post your thoughts. Note that I'm designating this as a "no spam" topic.
As I told Captain_Tea, I've seen a shift from clans to gaming communities in recent years. I think of clans as smaller, more tightly-knit groups; I think of gaming communities as larger, less cohesive groups.
To use an analogy familiar to most Christians, clans are like smaller local churches and gaming communities are like megachurches. Having attended both types of churches, I've seen the advantages and disadvantages of both.
Megachurches offer more ministry opportunities, enjoy increased funding, and can afford larger outreach efforts. Smaller local churches make it easier for members to get involved, can be less intimidating to non-Christians or new Christians, and are usually led by leadership more approachable than one will find at a megachurch.
Just as the megachurch trend gained momentum in the United States in the 1950s, it seems the trend of the megaclan has emerged in the last few years.
In megachurches, many members show up on Sunday morning, sing along with the choir, listen to a 45-minute sermon, and slip out before the offering plate is passed. Rinse and repeat.
In megaclans, many members join, read the information posted for new members, play on a clan-operated game server for a season, and duck out when clan leadership starts asking members for donation to keep that clan-operated server online. The player joins a new megaclan--the flavor of the week--and repeats the process.
Both megachurches and megaclans offer opportunities for involvement, service, and leadership. Unfortunately, megachurches and megaclans both soon discover that, in most circumstances, it's a small group of members that fund the organization and determine its direction.
In a society characterized by an unfounded sense of entitlement, it's no surprise that Christians and gamers alike look for groups that offer something without requiring something in return. In the immortal words of Janet Jackson, "What have you done for me lately?"
A small local church is going to take notice when you don't show up on Sunday. They may call if you're gone for a few weeks to see if you're okay or if you need prayer.
A small clan is going to notice when you drop their clan tag and stop playing on the clan-operated server.
A megachurch is probably not going to notice when someone who only shows up on Sunday morning stops warming their Sunday seat.
A megaclan probably won't notice when you start playing on another server with lower latency or those custom maps you like.
I suppose I'm conflicted on the issue. I'm a member of a small local church, but I'm the leader of a Christian gaming group with 953 listed members (as of Dec. 10). Less than half of those are active and only a small percentage are involved. I've lost track of the number of times I've posted volunteer positions on the forums and had no response. I've often compared getting people to volunteer to pulling teeth, all the while assigning those few who do step up to help out two or three staff positions. (Just ask SirThom, the Man of Many Hats.)
I want to make Tribe of Judah welcoming to new members and I want to bring game servers online for our community, but if people won't get involved and if they won't donate funds, what am I to do? The opportunities are there, but most people don't make the effort to post on the forums or donate their time or money.
The community will only receive what the community will support.
Personal viewpoints aside, the emergence of the megaclan has interesting implications for the gaming community at large. What does this trend mean for competitive gaming? Will the trend present new challenges for smaller clans? Am I just imagining this all--is the smaller clan really in decline and is the gaming community really on the rise?
Please post your thoughts. Note that I'm designating this as a "no spam" topic.
