[CHARTICLE] How to Play eRep in Moderation

Day 1,361, 11:18 • Published in USA USA • by Chutley



How to Play eRepublik in Moderation

As many of you know (or at least now realize), I was away from eRepublik for a few weeks. As fewer, though still some, remember, it all started with a shout which rea😛 “Back Monday.”


First of all – in my defense – I never specified which Monday. Granted, I eventually came back on a Thursday, but shut the hell up.


Why the somewhat extended hiatus, you may ask? Well – like many of you (or at least will soon understand), I was spending a little too much time on eRepublik. Not necessarily on the site, but I thought about it a little too much, whether I was at the gym, out with friends, or watching a movie and thinking about how much it explains the phenomenon that is eRepublik and its citizens.





My leave, albeit relatively brief, has showed me that our little game is best served with a healthy dose of moderation. Addiction of any kind is usually bad (unless, I suppose, it’s to being productive with your life), so I’ve provided you with 10 suggestions for how not to lose yourself in this fake world.





1. If you don’t want to do something someone else tells you to do, don’t do it

eRepublik should never be a chore. Once you treat it as such, enjoyment goes down, stress levels go up, and addiction is severely bolstered by virtue of loyalty.



2. If you write articles (and I sincerely hope you do), don’t care about votes or subscriber numbers.

Umm, yeah, I'll admit it: I do that…big time. And goddamn if I don't want that first media mogul thingy. The result is that I check my article via my phone incessantly to see what type of response I’m getting. This confuses me to no end. I get enough self-satisfaction and ego boosting opportunities in real life to not care about how many people have enjoyed my work. I mean, I do care, but I shouldn’t care enough that I whip out my phone at dinner to take a quick gander.



3. Don’t run for President.

I mean, do it if you really want to, I guess; but I’ve heard tell that previous PotUS’s have spent as many as 15 hours per day in front of their computers. And if you do do that for a month, do yourself a favor and step away from the game for a few weeks (or at least decrease your involvement). In fact, everyone should take a mandatory break at least once per month. How about right after you get a hard worker medal. You won't ruin your streak and your (real) health will improve.



4. If you wake up and realize you just had a dream about eRepublik, it is imperative that you take at least three days off from the game

I don’t care if that means you lose out on your hard worker medal – if you’re dreaming about a text-based computer game, you don’t deserve any rewards, real or fake.



5. Don’t join more than 2 IRC chat rooms at a time

That’s just too many people. Bots do that. Real people shouldn’t.



6. Don’t buy gold

Just… don’t buy gold.



7. Spend significantly less time caring about changes to eRepublik

A few things happen when you complain:

* You wait for feedback, from users or Admins, and rarely get it so you get even more pissed.

* You wait with undeserved bated breath for articles that explain or, worse, justify the new changes. Then you read every single one of them.

* You debate with other people.

Take a step back and you’ll realize you don’t actually give a damn about any of it.



6. Unless you absolutely have to, don’t post in the damn eUSA forum.

Most people hate it anyway and, in my experience, 80% of posts just make fun of other people.



9. If you use terms like faggot or old fgt or just plain old fgt, stop.

This shows that you’ve either lost touch with real life etiquette or that you’re a homophobe. Invent a new term. I don’t care what it is as long as you wouldn’t hesitate to say it in public. (Real public.)



10. Don’t read my articles carefully enough to realize that I just wrote “6” instead of “8.” Also, my list is actually going to include 12 items. Don’t be bothered about that either.

Skimming is fine. There are too many articles to read them all. Don’t worry, I won’t be offended.



11. Don’t ever, ever see a celebrity and think of the eRepublik person who uses that avatar.

For instance, I’m not actually in any of the Geico ads. That’s an actor, not someone who wastes time writing articles on eRepublik.



12. This was mostly just to prove item 10. But, I’ll say this: don’t ever, ever, ever disagree with anything I say.

I’m always right. Let’s just leave it at that.





Have suggestions of your own? Let me hear them. Disagree with anything I said? Review item 12.


With moderate love,
Chutley



P.S. Thanks to Sozo for the cool new header.