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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: What's your motivation to perform?
by Jake Evers 
Nov 11th 2011 at 8:00AM
The raid is falling apart. You're on a boss you've downed before, but now it seems impossible to make it out of phase 1 because people keep failing on mechanics they should already have mastered. Ranged DPSers are standing in fire. Healers aren't popping CDs when the boss smacks the tank with its hard-hitting ability. Melee DPSers aren't switching to the adds in time, so they wipe the raid. Tanks can't seem to position the boss correctly. The raid is falling apart.
So what is it that will motivate your group to pick up the pieces, stop failing, and win?
Some group or raid leaders seem to think anger is the best motivator. They get stern, raise their voices, and threaten to kick the next person who fails, hoping their severity will prod everyone to victory. Some take a sarcastic tone, mocking group members until they clean up their act. "Wow, what a pro-mage move -- you Blinked right into that explosion. You should really think about doing this for a living." Others seek to break the tension and frustration by giving everyone a short break. Perhaps a reminder of the rewards works best, since shiny new loot is a great incentive for most. Sometimes even humor does the trick; it's just a matter of getting people to LOL at how pathetic that last attempt was or how ridiculous their character looks while riding Magmaw.
Since people are different, though. Sometimes one method of motivation doesn't work for everyone in the group. The angry lecture approach can backfire when group members get so worried about failing that they freeze up and stand still instead of doing their jobs. Taking a break or laughing for a few minutes can have the unintended result of breaking the raiders' concentration, at which point their loss of focus causes even more fail.
So what is the best motivation for you to overcome obstacles, perform at the highest level, and succeed?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
rockychristine Nov 11th 2011 10:15AM
As a raid leader and having worked with lots of styles of raid leader, I'd never yell at a raid even if they are really having a bad night. Things happen, people get tired and distracted, and it's far easier to get through to people when you're being calm and civil.
Understanding when to call it a wipe is so important, too. And breaks. If we're in a long raid or have been having a lot of trouble, it's important to call a short break and let people get up and think about something else for a few minutes. It definitely does produce better results.
I just try to not get too stressed out about it. I've been in some groups that finish a raid despite being completely incompetent, and others who should be in a perfect position to finish and get all the achievements and just can't stop wiping. It happens. And anyways, "Remember the time when..." is always less frustrating and even funny the next day. If I've had a bad raid night, I just go to bed and the next day, review the screenshots and my notes. It was never as bad as I thought it was, and even the nights filled with stupid are excellent learning experiences for everyone.
rodmin Nov 11th 2011 10:44AM
What compels me to move foward, is my duty.
The duty that i took upon myself as i signed on my guild's calender schedule, from 19:45 to midnight.
I'm not a quitter. I simply do not leave things unfinished. I try and try with my guildies until either two things happen: either the boss' dead, or midnight arrives, and sign myself for the next raid.
I raid because i like the challenge of healing my mates, or taking in the big boss, or hitting like mad, either when it goes nice or awfull.
goldeneye Nov 14th 2011 10:07AM
^ This
If you can't take a night of wiping, ... Well I hear there's this nice LFR-difficulty coming out in 4.3 :)
Moanique Nov 11th 2011 10:46AM
Within a guild or a raid (or any sort of group really) anger, yelling or sarcastic mockery counts with me as drama. When that sort of drama occurs on a regular basis I go elsewhere for the night or perhaps for good.
Life's too short. The game is supposed to be fun. That's not fun.
Moanique Nov 11th 2011 10:50AM
Just a note actually responding to the question in the post: If the group/team is attempting to move forward, then no motivation is really necessary. I'm there.
Bad nights happen.
If, on the other hand, the group loses its motivation it's not a crime to go and do something else. Taking a couple of weeks off is not a crime and people can return somewhat refreshed and ready to try again.
Chaia Nov 11th 2011 11:04AM
My raid is casual in attendance requirements (i.e. you won't lose your slot if you can't raid for a week) but when people do come, they're expected to know the fights and be on top of their game. Up until 10 months ago, we had a raid leader who lost his temper a lot and treated us like children. Worse, he singled out particular players whose performance he didn't like, and would ride them for the whole evening. We put up with him because he was also an amazing strategist who could look at what was going wrong and then change strategies on the fly to compensate. We got a lot of server-first kills, which was cool because we only raided 2-3 nights a week. But we also lost good raiders because of his behavior. And those who stayed often felt pretty besieged.
Eventually, he left the guild (without notice or a good-bye) and we now have calmer, more respectful raid leaders. We rarely get server-firsts and we have plenty of frustrating weeks when we backslide on farmed content. People think back to our old raid leader, and we do miss his energy and focus. But none of us would want him back. Ever. The price was too high.
jbeatty Nov 11th 2011 11:33AM
Ours is a small guild, we usually have 6 or 7 dedicated raiders and 3 or 4 casual players who can put together mechanics and timing enough to down regular tiers of content. I'm one of the casual players now, just because family and work time constraints have made me ease back from the raiding twice a week like I used to.
The reason I got into the guild during our Karazhan runs many moons ago was one really cool thing that the raidleader/guildmaster did during a particularly frustrating wipe fest. He stopped and asked "hey, does everyone know what they need to be doing for this fight?" It was met with silence. "no really guys, it's ok, if you don't get what's going on or what killed you, let's talk it through." silence. And then he asks "ok, ranged, can you sum up the fight in terms of your responsibilities through the different phases?" and he went on to ask a player from each role what they thought they should be doing. Other players from the same role would chime in when the first forgot something.
Having them sum it up in their own words not only cemented the fact that they knew what they should do, but let the other roles know how they were approaching the fight. "I'll be breaking off from the boss when he does x, downing the adds, getting healed back up to 75% or so, then going back to the boss" When the ranged said something like that, there was a response from the healers "wait, I can't do that unless you guys group up a little more" and then the response went "well, where can we group up that's safe?". Then we tried again and people commented during the fight where they thought we weren't actually doing what we said we were going to do. "we missed the transition right there, we gotta do that faster"
Yes, it takes longer to discuss it all out, but it not only made for a successful raid. It started the foundations of a really mature environment where people could ask the dumb questions and not feel like they were setting themselves up to be mocked. It overflowed into guild chat and the general tone set for the guild. It made it a nice place to gather and play together. It's been 4 years now and it's still a very cool place to be. It's all about setting and maintaining the tone.
Loot, achievements, rare drops, and cool titles are nice and all, but if you don't like the people you're playing with you're not going to bother chasing the next great thing.
Lemons Nov 11th 2011 2:29PM
Agreed about discussing the fight. It's a step many raid leaders gloss over. I hate leads that simply assume that just because everyone has watched the video that they should have perfect knowledge of the fight. That's why when I became raid lead I thoroughly explained fights for new people and fielded questions as well. It takes a while but in the end it's worth it.
In fact one of my best raiders was a guy who asked a bunch of questions. For every fight that was new to him he'd probably ask around five to ten questions, but I never got annoyed by this because once he asked his questions then he had a really firm handle on the fight and would rarely make mistakes, even on the first few pulls. He would actually outperform other raiders who had pulled the fight twenty or thirty times.
There are many, many wipes that are caused because of fundamental misunderstanding of the fight mechanics. If you can eliminate those misunderstandings then your chances of down the bos with minimal wipes increase dramatically.
blanchard1992 Nov 11th 2011 12:35PM
I have the DBM sounds installed and it plays Keyboard Cat when the group wipes. Not only does it provide the hilarity needed if you wipe (reducing stress) it also makes me really embarrassed if I caused it. >_>
Greg Nov 11th 2011 12:39PM
I want to be RAD!
That's why every time I play, I turn on the Karate Kid, gel up my roadhouse mullet, put on my ninja turtle headband, and crank up that Joe Esposita classic:
YOU'RE THE BEST... AROU-OUND!
NOTHING'S GONNA EVER KEEP YOU DOWN!
Alright. My Pandaren monk is totally ready for all challengers. Beware the crane kick.
Plainswander Nov 11th 2011 12:49PM
You know what motivates me more than ANYTHING else?
A 1% wipe
Aside from that, well, downing the boss is a sufficient motivator, as well as fun. Having fun will always push me to do better, not having fun will sap my will to game like nothing else.
It's not a competitive thing, quite the opposite actually, if the team is humming along like a well oiled machine, then it lifts everyone up on a wave of energy.
Ominous Nov 11th 2011 12:51PM
I'm a Beast Master, so people seem to think I can't perform.
That, alone, is motivation.
In Icecrown, when Beast Masters were not meant to be much good, I was able to maintain at least a top 5 spot - in a 25 man clear - and stay at number 1 for extended periods.
Play what you choose and enjoy, rather than what a spread-sheet tells you.
Do your research and, when you perform well, it will feel so much better!
carsomand Nov 11th 2011 2:14PM
Last night, my guild was chain wiping on Beth'tilac. One of the healers was taking the blame, either her tank was dying, or she was dying, etc. Finally our raid leader was fed up with it and said "Hey, Stop. You know we roll for blame around here. " we then proceeded to roll. Every time it was the warlocks fault.
Lemons Nov 11th 2011 2:20PM
It's funny, the raids I've been in where the raid leader was a jackass have been some of the most productive in terms of progression. I think you have to be a bit of a jackass to be a really good raid leader. I respect a raid leader who knows his stuff and doesn't take shit from his raiders. If raiders give him shit they're kicked. You end up hating that guy, but in the end you realize that all that "drama", as some would call it, has served a purpose. It has separated the wheat from the tares. The people that didn't have the drive to succeed and get better left in a huff long ago and now only the best raiders are left. That style of raid leading actually motivates me because you get to this point where you know everyone in the group is really solid and that gives you faith that the boss will die.
It's kind of like Hell's Kitchen...but in WoW. I understand why a lot of people don't want to sign up for that sort of thing when "it's just a vidya game", but it's what needs to happen.
DragonFireKai Nov 11th 2011 3:04PM
Awww... Jake, I thought you liked it when I yelled.
jevers Nov 11th 2011 5:15PM
hey, i didn't pass any judgment on any of the methods of motivation...just pointed out some potential shortfalls :)
DragonFireKai Nov 11th 2011 9:33PM
DOOR!