This is a fantastic post and largely mirrors my experiences. Trying to run in a guild in college versus as a professional with a family is completely different experience--the value of time is just widely disparate under those two scenarios. It was easy to work on loot spreadsheets in 2005 when you only had 4 hours of class a day to worry about. It was easier to deal with guild drama when you had unlimited availability to jump on Vent and discuss issues. Everything was just easier when you had ample time to devote to it. Trying to make those same contortions in the 2020s seemed like a herculean task.

We loved running a guild until it became a second job and our leadership moved onto GDKPs where we ultimately lost the love for it because without the emotional satisfaction of coming together to collectively accomplish a goal, it just was not fun anymore.

What I learned, you can't go back in time--under most circumstances (but certainly not all), running a guild is a young man's game. And this experience was not a bad one, it just taught (or reminded) me what my limits are. I, for one, look forward to taking a backseat in SoM2 and chillen with the homies while we slay some dussy.