WoW: Gear vs RL

To start off, I just wanted to take a look at how to not approach a possible conflict with a real life co-worker involving gear in an online game. This is a true story, but the names of the parties involved are hidden to protect their identity.

So, we are trying to get ready for our first venture into the depths of SSC. My guild was helping collect some of the primals that I was farming for the frost resistant gear. Everything was going smooth, I had one whole piece built before the guild even got involved. Then a good friends of mine put out on the forums and usually in G chat, that we were taking contributions for primals to complete the set for the guild MT and so on. People were contributing, and I even ended up getting extra frost resist pieces as well.

Then the drama begins. There was another warrior, fairly new to the guild, but a co-worker with one of the officers for my guild, and also there are a few other co-workers here that have been playing together for a long time. Anyways, he gets the idea to ask my friend who is collecting the primals and crafting the gear, if he could try to get contributions from the guild so the warrior could get a craftable gun. My friend thinks this is a little wierd in kinder works, so he mentions it to the officer/co-worker of the warrior. Here is where it gets real messy. The officer tells him, "we are collecting the mats for these pieces so the we can properly equip of the guilds main tanks and be able to run this raid." The reply is, "I don't know what you are talking about, you must think I am dumb, I never asked that." Officer, "well I guess you are dumb, cause I know you asked it, and getting mats for gear that is required for the guild to run a raid, is nothing comparable to a warrior that is to lazy to farm his own mats for a gun." Then "&*%$%#$%&" "*#%^&%^&" "*#%^&^&*&^" or something along those lines.

It ended in a /gquit which then followed shortly after with tells to me trying to explain why he left and he didn't want to say anything he would regret worse then. Ohh it is not over yet, next day at work... dun dun dun

The stuff hits the fan, and the boss had to get involved. I am not sure what happened to either of them at work, but all this over a question asked about a gun on a game. I take my self seriously in this game, and I get more involved than is probably healthy, but never have I had a fight with a real life friend over an item made of pixels.

Play to your fullest potential, but don't forget what is real in life and what is to have fun. Always remember that loot can drop again, and mats can be farmed or bought with little time and effort, but real peoples feelings can be hurt or worse. Your actions in game can effect your real life, whether it is disappointment's from losing a roll, or having a fight with a co-worker.