Clans in gaming, what's the point?

[Vindekarr]

Well, what do you think? Do clans have a valid role in the times of quick matchmaking, lone-wolf oriented games and drop-in-drop-out multiplayer? or is this old-as-time social element still alive and well?

 

Tonight I was playing Space Marine, a third person shooter. Specificaly, it was a node-capture game, and I was doing rather well for myself, despite having not got a single capture for five games, I had a big kill count and was loving the shagrin my flank N prank sneakiness was causing. Popping up from where I was least expected, laying down a few headshots with my Stalker then running away before I could be overwhelmed, I was making a killing, literaly and figuratively. Along came some clan members, I won't say who since I kinda made em hate me, but they started working in hordes.

 

THIS is what made me wonder about the validity of clans as a tactic-their teamwork made absolutely no diference, and at one point I eliminated three of three in one fight, sniping one, dropping a flashbang on the second and sniping him, then blasting the third as he came around a corner. It made no diference that they always moved as a team, they simply were no match for the rag-tag, substantialy less skillful but more variously and heavily armed misfit Loyalist team, and were massacred, finishing with half the points total, and nowhere near the K/D(one of them had nine deaths four kills, which is abysmal)

 

I see very few clans anymore, and Im wondering, is this because gaming has simply moved on from the days of the organised CounterStrike clan? or are they fading away but still useful? what do you think?

Edited October 10, 2011 by Vindekarr

[antonkr]

In a game such as Space Marines, and Call of Duty, clans are really not necessary. However some games can have very useful clans and clan tactics such as the Battlefield series. You feel safer knowing that someone you know is piloting the plane you are going to be gunning from, and that it is not a clueless 13 year old recon idiot that will flip it over, killing both of you. However Battlefield can still be played in a lonely fashion mostly.

However if we get to more tactical games (talking ArmA 2 here) playing without a clan on multiplayer is close to impossible. However when you have a team of 30 or so guys organized into few fire teams, and some support players also, it can be a lot of fun for everyone.

[Yoshh]

Unfortunately, I only played ArmA 2 Free, and I could barely find a playable server. Or even with people who actually knew how to play the darn game. In any case, I'd say it's heavily dependant on the game, but with a little twist: Even though they're on the same clan, doesn't mean they know how to do productive teamwork. Coordination CAN make the difference.

 

Note: Lately, the only Multiplayer games I play are the ones that focus on teamplay. I'm picky to that point :(

Edited October 10, 2011 by Yoshh

[ACACE]

If you play a game like gears of war or the call of duty games clans are pretty useful

[CommanderCrazy]

The clan i roll with for Battlefield games is pretty much just a bunch of mates who like to play together. We arent a 'hardcore' clan, who is all about winning all the time, but its still nice to stick around and chill with each other while we play.

So in response of the OP's question, it can be a social thing as much as a gaming thing.

[HellsMaster]

My Clan in Battlefield 3 is a general gaming clan (mostly centred on BF3 now).

 

We always have a blast on the Clan Server and use TS to either chat in general or to organize teams for team play.

 

Clan in games such as CoD is mostly a way to get a fancy tag in front of your name, however in a game that rely on coodirnatiion and not the lonewolf "ill kill em all" style, it really helps having a clan with people you know, and you can trust.

[Delikatessen]

To be honest, they really aren't useful outside of tactical or defense games. In games like Battlefield, ARMA or Alien Swarm (a top-down shooter), you're dead if you don't play together. In games such as Call of Duty, you're dead if you try to work together. Maybe a sniper as support, but having 6 guys running through a hallway in tight formation is absurd, because one guy with a flashbang could eliminate all of you. Really, it's too easy to play against clans in Call of Duty, especially since most CoD players nowadays are clueless 11 year old kids that haven't seen a gun outside of the internet (and it's funny when they try to argue that they've "seen" C4 explosions in real life).

 

But clans as a social experience are pretty useful. Don't discuss tactics with them or plan about what you're going to do unless it's an MMORPG where it's useful. Just make sure there's no one named "Leeroy" on your team...

 

I voted "the age of clans has passed", because of squad-play in Battlefield. No need for a clan, just 4 guys working together (most of the time).

[WrathOfDeadguy]

Vote added... connection reset ate the post I was going to make; I'll edit it back in later. The gist of it is that there will always be value in the purpose-driven organization that clans/squads provide, whether they are driven by competition or the simple desire to keep an old favorite game alive.

[MooseTail]

It all really depends.

A clan is only good if its active clan and everyone in it are good players.

That's pretty much it.

[Beriallord]

Uh, maybe if its an MMORPG or something, but I never found a use for clans in FPS games. And Clans are useless in MMORPGs if people don't assist each other. From my experience, most clans are leader and buddies with a bunch of random recruits. They spam to recruit people, and then offer them no benefit for joining. To them you aren't even really a person, you are a number, a stat in their clan ranks. That is WoW for you, lol.