The Great GS/WH Debate

First off, let me start by saying that this debate will never have a clear and concise "winner". Like so many debates, both sides have very valid arguments and both sides have quite a few, let's call them "gaps" in logic. This post probably isn't going to shed any new light on the arguments or solve the issues surrounding the debate. What I will attempt to do, is give both sides of the argument a fair assessment and then give my views. Also, I'm sure that there are plenty of reasons on both sides of the argument I will overlook, forget, or haven't heard/thought about. I am attempting to give the most logical and common ones I've heard. Again, this isn't meant to be an all encompassing research report. It's just a brief overview of the argument as a whole.

 

So what is the GS/WH thing? GS & WH are acronyms for GearScore and WoW-Heroes respectively. While GearScore is an in-game addon and WoW-Heroes is a website, both serve a similar function. Both try to look at a player and assess their over all gear level based on what they have currently equipped. Now it's important to remember one fact. Both these sites, to the best of my knowledge, look solely at gear (item levels, enchants, and gems). Based off the gear you are wearing when you log out, you're given a number calculated on the "worth" of your gear. That number is your gear score or your wow-heroes score. 

On the surface, these two tools would seem harmless and can be quite useful way to measure personal gear progress to the current level cap. But like so many things, how the tools are used makes all the difference. Most pick up groups (PUGs) use the GS/WH score as a base line for invitation into the raid (the score being based on the level of content the PUG is attempting). A lot of chat invitations go out into the channels looking something along the lines of "Healer/Tank/DPS needed for ICC run. 5800GS minimum. PST with GS for invite". This kind of invitation precludes two things. One, you know what your GS/WH is currently. And two, you have the required score. The figuring it out isn't that much of a road bump however. A quick trip to WoW-Heroes.com or asking someone in a guild or chat channel to "scan" you, will quickly remedy that. Once you have the suggested gear score for a raid, this is where we have debate. What does this number mean?

 

The Issue: Using GS/WH as an entry into raiding or 5-mans. 

Argument Against the use of GS/WH as a barrier to entry for some guild and most PUG raids.

GS/WH should not be used as a barrier to entry because it doesn't not accurately portray the skill or capability of the player. Because it looks solely at gear and NOT experience or ability, it is an inherently flawed way of judging a player.This number value doesn't take into consideration a player's knowledge not only of a class and its mechanics, but also of raiding in general. There are many stories of a lower geared person far outshining a higher geared person simply because they know their class and/or know how to raid. And based on a number, you are not only keeping a great player from joining and increasing the raids chance of success, but also keeping them from joining increasing his GS/WH and thus becoming even more valuable to that raid and its future attempts. Because of this, a player should be invited based on their skill and knowledge of the class. To quote Blizzard "Bring the player, not the class".

Argument For the use of GS/WH as a barrier to entry for some guild and most PUG raids.

GS/WH should be used as a barrier of entry because it shows a player has put time and energy into obtaining gear of a certain level. One can assume if a player has spent the time running content, they should have, in that amount of time, acquired skill and knowledge of their class. GS/WH also insures that the stats of the player will be high. A higher geared player will hit harder, take less damage, or heal for more. This will increase the likely hood of success in the raid. GS/WH is also, currently, the best  measuring stick in the game. Outside of these, there really isn't any other benchmark available that is able to, with any more accuracy, assess a players potential. The game is set up to make the higher level gear harder to get, but not so much as to be an impossibility. If you put in the time and effort, you will not only gain the gear that will increase your GS/WH to a level that will permit entry to a raid, but also give you the skill and abilities that will make you more valuable as a player overall.

My views

There are good arguments on both sides. Both make valid points for and against the use of GS/WH. My stance is simple, it's a tool and should be used as such. You wouldn't use a hammer to draw a blue print. Likewise, you wouldn't use the blueprints to try and nail two pieces of wood together. But you need both to build a house. Use the tool for what it gives, a simple summary of a players gear. Can you make assumptions based on this summary (GS/WH) of a players overall ability. Sure. But in doing so, you should keep in mind that it's still a flawed method. 

I believe, inside a guild, there should be no need for GS/WH. When you play with people long enough, you learn their capabilities and skills. Using it in a guild serves no purpose other than to show that you have not played with each other long enough to know them. Perhaps in bigger guilds (or guilds with a high turn over rate) this could be acceptable, but I would wager in those cases you might have more pressing issues than gear levels.

As far as PUGs go, I really have no problem with it used as a measuring stick. The unfortunate thing about a PUG is that there really is no way of being able to tell two players apart based on skill. If you are given two players, one with a higher GS/WH than another, most are going to pick the one that's higher, and rightfully so. The higher scored player probably has more experience, and has the stats that will, in theory, add to possibility of success to the raid. Now is it possible that the lower GS is a better player and choice for the raid? Absolutely, but as I said, there is no real way to "know", and so logic dictates you take the one that has the highest probability of adding to the success of the raid given the information that's available to you.

Summary:

 

You could say I'm on the fence but that's not entirely accurate. I see GS/WH as a valuable tool when attempting to throw a group of players together that haven't played together before. To use it as a measuring stick for anything other than gear is a complete misuse of the tool. That is the real culprit for this entire debate. This misuse, I believe, is a result of laziness. It's easier to use a number generated from an addon or website than to take a critical look at a player and make a judgment of that player's ability based on your history with them. Will GS/WH ever go away? Perhaps. But it will be as a result of a "better" addon or method of quantifying a players overall "worth" to a raid. Will it ever solve this debate? Probably not. If not because of the laziness then because of the people who think they are better than they actually are. There will always be those who will not be invited and blame something other than their lack of skill, such as GS/WH. To solve that, it would require people to be honest with each other and themselves. Now what do you think are the chances of that happening?

What is WoW (World of Wut)

Short answer: Anything I want it to be.

Long answer: I've been constantly trying to figure out a way to better my writing skills. Learning the ways of more effective writing, and not just writing in itself but communication in general. So I've decided to try (again) to start up a blog. But this blog is going to (probably) focus primarily on two things. 

The first will be my hobbies. Which at this point in time is mainly video games, specifically World of Warcraft (All coming together now)?  But I also dabble in card magic. I love movies and even teach a class in church based around them so I'm sure that'll find it's way in here some where too. I also enjoy stories in general and reading, so fantasy novels I'm reading at the time will most likely make it into the mix along with TV shows etc.

The second will just be observations and comments about my life. Anything really that I feel I should write down lest I forget or something I think others could benefit from. I have no illusions as to the popularity of this blog. If others come and read and gain something from it. Excellent, but understand that this blog isn't for anyone else but me. 

So having said all that, let's get this fail train rolling. Probably going to try to set up a schedule of writing. Maybe weekly, or more. Who know. I suppose it might just depend on when inspiration hits. Which lately might mean I'll have to force it. 

What's my first blog post going to be about? I don't know. I guess we'll find out tonight. :)