World of Warcraft is a game that is marked “Teen” in terms of recomendation of minimum age group to play the game. This does not mean people younger than teenaged years do not play, however, nor does it mean they “should not” play, necessarily. HOW the game is intended to be played may change this opinion for some when it comes to pre-teen players.

This entry is specifically for those aged approximately 12 to 17 years of age.

The Lure Of Raiding Guilds

When a new player joins the game, they’re generally completely unaware of the “raiding scene” unless they have a friend already in the game who has influenced their joining decision in the first place.

Eventually, however, everyone becomes aware of the “big dungeons” with the “phat loot”. If a teen is joining when he already knows some of his friends play, it’s possible he’ll already have a dream of joining these elite teams and getting this cool equipment before even having entered a dungeon at all.

The Challenge Inherent in Raiding Guilds

To raid takes a lot of time and effort. Many agree that no player can properly begin to understand how much time and effort until they follow the standard pattern of advancing to level 70 and starting the process of looking for a raiding guild for the first time.

Some questions you might want to ask yourself before getting into a raiding guild:

• Do you have TIME to raid?
• Sharing your computer and having to jump off with little notice because parents or siblings demand it is a great way to lose online raiding friends and gain a bad reputation
• Ignoring real world responsibilities (chores, homework, bedtime) and leaving a dungeon or raid party in the lurch as a result is another great way to lose friends and gain a bad reputation.
• Are your professions levelled up?
• A nice chunk of the best equipment for level 70s these days is crafted from Tailoring, Leatherworking, Blacksmithing and Engineering. Don’t just rely on dungeon runs to gear yourself up
• How about your secondary professions?
• Sometimes, grinding out “boring levels” in Fishing, First Aid and Cooking can pay off quite nicely when making an application to a Raiding guild. Advancing these secondary skills not only provides free healing and nice buffs that you can share with guildmates, but it shows a dedication to the game that a lot of leaders are looking for when tackling the harder game content
• Do you know how to earn Warcraft Gold without having to ask others?
• Asking for cash from virtual strangers is extremely bad form, even in guilds that are nowhere near tackling End Game content. It’s important to support yourself or lean on Real Life friends
• Raiding guilds and those tackling Heroic 5-man content at level 70 all have on thing in common: When learning new encounters with a new group, repair costs are high, and consumable costs are high. The more you can farm materials for your consumables, the less you have to buy from the Auction House. The more gold-earning strategies you’ve devised before applying for the raiding guild, the better as well

Honest Opinions From Raid and Guild Leaders about Teenaged Members/Raiders

Aside from all the “player” aspects of the game mentioned above, there are many other issues that Guild Leaders and Raid Leaders consider when reviewing an applicant to their raiding guild. Legal issues regarding minors may arise, for example, and some adults do not feel comfortable having to worry about censoring themselves. As a result, some guilds have imposed age restrictions on their membership.

At the end, teenagers may need to do an extra little bit of “guild shopping” before finding a guild that they wish to apply to that wishes to accept them as a member, because there IS a raiding guild out there for them, and if they perform well and get a good reputation, age won’t make a difference in the long term.

Check out this recent thread in the World of Warcraft official forums on this topic, which inspired this entry:

Can I Get a GL Banned For This?

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1. Finding A WoW Guild That Fits
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