10 Usual Reasons Why Players Leave Guilds

When you start playing MMORPG, you’ll probably join a guild after a while. There are many reasons to join one: to gain status, items and above all to be safer in the world of MMO game. But, sometimes player want to leave the guilds. Here are some usual reasons that you’ve probably heard of or used before.

As you’ll see most of the reasons are objective, but some of them are subjective and lack reasonable explanation. Check them all and judge yourself.

1. Going AWOL

This is the most mysterious reason for sure. These are guild mates who just disappear without a single word.  What’s even weirder is that they disappear not only from the guild, but also from the game. They might have even deleted their character and canceled their account.  A sort of cold-turkey without telling anyone about that.


2. Taking a Break
 
School, work or family sometimes deserve more attention than devoted players currently give to them. Or sometimes, players are just burnt out and tired of their favorite game. However, the chances of this players coming back are small, so the break or leave becomes permanent.  However, this is the better way to leave, because at least one guild mate will know what happened with you and will explain when others notice your absence.


3. Real Life Issues
 
Although aforementioned school, work or family also belongs to the real life issues, there are cases that can be described as emergency, when someone has to leave game quickly.  This can be permanent leave or just temporary absence, depending on what’s happened.  Mostly, players leave short note to one or more of their guildmates if they have intention to get back in certain period of time.  But often this type of leaving can become AWOL if the issues are more serious or ask full involvement of player who left.


4. Drama Induced Leave

This is either the player who is drama queen, or a player who is just sick of bitching inside of guild.  In the first case, the player will probably be booted (Skip to the next step).  If he/she’s just sick of drama, then the player will most likely just leave to get away from it in one of the ways described under 1, 2 or later under 10. However, whether players leave due to drama voluntarily or involuntarily, they rarely come back.


5. Getting Booted
 
The player has done something that is against guild rules or something equally bad. This includes a wide scope of crimes and misdemeanors that will induce a kick from the guild. However player who is about to be booted won’t have time to explain why he/she’s leaving. Guild leader will do it. Will this player ever get back? Depends how serious offense he/she committed. Guild may allow return under certain circumstances and terms.


6. Crisis of Identity and Conspiracy
 
This is the story/rumor of how some long time guild members are not who they say they are (girl pretends to be a guy, or a forty-something year old plays a teenager, etc.).  If you dig deeper, you may find out that the account that player you know had left long ago and then returned again, in fact gave that account to someone else.  This can lead you or the guild members close to Area 51 and other conspiracy fields, or simply to the boot or peaceful leave of members involved.


7. The Angry Guild Chat Quit (or /gquit)
 
Sometimes one of the guild members gets insanely mad about something and just /gquits abruptly, often having angry outbursts in guild chat before leaving.  This is popularly called /gquit. There is no warning or further explanation for this, so the rest of guild members have that big question marks above head and lot of “WTFs” in the chat window. Often players who left, later want to get back into the guild, but are too prideful to ask due to way how they left. 






8. The Grass is Greener Over There…
 
Whatever that may sound. Other guild is probably the biggest reason. However, players can leave peacefully or leave an angry mark all over the guild hall (if you have one) or just without single word. There is 50 % of chance that this kind of players will want to come back, usually with their tail between their legs. Guild usually decide to embrace them again depending on the way how they leave.


9. Me, Myself and I
 
This type of players quit the guild because they simply don’t want to be a part of a guild anymore.  They want to spend more time in game, without need to deal with gchat, Raid schedules or annoying members and guild dramas. They will however keep in touch with guild friends, and spend more time playing game.
But, some of these players have selfish reasons, but they usually mask them in one of aforementioned reasons.


10. The Exit with Style

This is the best way to leave a guild or also called “If you have to leave, leave it with style”. The player usually gives notice a few days or weeks ahead of time and leave gracefully on good terms.  Most of the time this type of player will take time to chat with guildmates to say good-bye in game and on the boards. Usually, players may even give their stuff away to the guild or to close friends. Also, their close guild friends will find out details on reasons for leaving. They will often stay in touch at least semi-regularly and may even rejoin the guild in future.

 
Those were some basic reasons why players leave guilds. This can be also applied to any community and relationships within each of them, whether this community is forum, social network or gaming guild.