Gaming team work

Somewhere in my past I saw or heard a quote that stated, the one thing we all have in common is we think we are above average drivers. Playing a character in an MMOG works much the same way. Every person who plays thinks they are above average, and that is partially the point of playing. Thinking you are good at something makes you feel good.

The issue comes in with the definition of good. In a group that attempts to accomplish something there are several key rolls.

1. Tank: The tanks job is to keep the enemy mad at him so he gets hit on. This is also known as the masochist.
2. Healer: The job of the healer is to keep everyone alive.
3. Crowd Control: This position is not always present or necessary. When it is necessary it is very necessary and one of my favorite rolls to take. This involves either keeping a certain enemy from involving themselves in the fight at all, or in some way keeping them from doing anything if they do involve themselves. That could be sleeping, rooting, sheeping or one of many other possible methods. The reason I love it is that it usually involves a high level of skill to accomplish and stay alive. Something like a lion tamer in real life maybe.
   
4. DPS: This persons job is mostly to do damage. This person is also responsible for not doing so much damage that they pull the enemy off of the tank. Usually dps is running around in little more than a g-string and a cape so, they really can't take a hit. This is known as "squishable".
   

Many many people, especially dps/heal classes, want to measure good by looking at damage dealt or healing done. Neither of these are good measurements. As a race we like statistics and numbers. Saying 10 is better than 9 is comforting and familiar. Unfortunately it is rarely that simple.

As DPS/Healer you are also often responsible for countering spells thrown by the enemy. These can be pretty important spells. Preventing a 10,000 point heal is far better than doing 5,000 points of damage. That does not show up in charts though. The race to do the most damage, or the most healing, is a really good way to get everyone in your raid group killed. The DPS/Healer that does their job with attention to not pulling aggro and/or accomplishing other tasks during the combat is almost always the player who contributes more to the raids/groups success. This person usually will not be at the top of the charts for damage or healing.