In
computer and video gaming, a
clan,
guild or
faction is an organized group of players that regularly play together in particular (or various)
multiplayer games. These games range from groups of a few friends to 4000-person organizations, with a broad range of structures, goals and members. The lifespan of a clan also varies considerably, from a few weeks to over a decade. Numerous clans exist for nearly every online game available today, notably in
first-person shooters,
massively multiplayer games,
role-playing video games, and
strategy games. There are also meta-groups that span a wide variety of games.