Let’s face it; partying heartily isn’t an image most people get when they think of online gaming or gamers. No matter how cool online gamers might be in real life, the image the overwhelming majority of people have about them revolves around words like “geek,” “loser,” and “living with parents.”

But when it comes to World of Warcraft, partying is a major part of the game.

A World of Warcraft party may also be known as a group. It’s basically just a collection of up to five players, and the primary benefit besides the socialization of getting to know other people is that sometimes a quest that was just too much to handle by yourself becomes almost ridiculously easy when done with friends.

Before joining your first party, however, you really should be aware of party etiquette. One of the nice things about the internet, or one of the annoying things depending on your point of view, is that etiquette is making a comeback.

Whereas in real life, nobody bats an eye if someone uses the wrong fork in a restaurant, on the internet people go all medieval on you if you don’t follow certain agreed-upon manners. This might be especially true in online gaming.

One thing you definitely want to avoid doing when you join a World of Warcraft party is taking a powder after you’ve completed your job in any given quest.

I mean, come on, here are all these other people busting their hump trying to do their part to help you out just as much as help themselves out and you get tired of waiting and knock off early for the day.

It ticks you off at work, right? So, why be surprised that it would tick someone off during gameplay? There is no “I” in team, but if you rearrange the letters there is “meat” and, brother, if you cash out before everyone else is done, you WILL be called a name that is also a synonym for meat.

Equally likely to earn you a nickname you don’t much care for is looting an item you don’t need, but saving it to sell later instead of giving it to another party member who needs it.

Think of it in these terms: You got a really nice shirt for Christmas that happens to be two sizes too big. You could do the refund thing, but you’ve got a friend who shops at the Big & Tall shops and it would be perfect for him. Which would you rather do, make an easy twenty bucks, or make your friend happy?

Okay then, what if your friend responded to your decision to go for the refund by telling everybody you own every album Celine Dion ever made? If word gets around that you’re greedy and don’t help out your fellow party members, things can get really ugly.

World of Warcraft party etiquette can seem silly, sure, but all etiquette is silly when it gets right down to it. I mean, come on, who really cares if you eat your steak with a salad fork?

Somebody somewhere.

And a lot of people are going to care if you don’t get to know the rules of nice manners before joining a party. And revenge will be served.

With a salad fork!

Warcraft Party Etiquette

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