"Final Fantasy XIV has such a wonderful, welcoming community!"
Part One

We've all heard this many times before, I don't doubt. Many...perhaps most, of us have said this, undoubtedly with the greatest of enthusiasm and in perfect sincerity. For years now, I have been enormously proud of of our community, and I have been very proud of the Free Companies to which I have belonged. When newcomers have shown up, baffled, or frustrated, or even hostile (in the case of refugees from certain, other games), my compatriots and I have been well pleased to help them get their bearings, find new friends, and even to provide them the gear and guidance they've looked for as brand new arrivals. If one judges the quality of our Community by how we receive new players, then surely Final Fantasy XIV is the apex of contemporary MMORPG civilization.

But is that the only standard by which we judge ourselves? I think not.

The FC to which I have belonged for some two years now, which I will not name out of respect for those good people in it, has been quick to help the stranger...but increasingly slow to work with it's own veterans. It's a pattern I've noticed time and again, across multiple MMO's, and multiple FC's, Guilds, Super Groups (with a nod to City of Heroes) and other such player organizations. As they age, they seem to go through a cycle of development that will likely be familiar to us all. Rapid initial expansion, usual oriented around a half-dozen or so founding individuals who cleared 60% or more of the content, are enthusiastic to help others and create a reliable base of players to address content that isn't well suited to PUG's (pick-up groups). The core coalesces around the idea of building a base by providing support to new players, who are generally open to recruitment because they want help and (at least subconsciously) association that provides positive reinforcement. The membership grows quickly and people are enthusiastic, and invest a lot of energy in "rah-rah, go team" language about how supportive, helpful and uplifting they all are. And this is, at least in this stage, genuine.