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eRepublik and the Search for Meaning
(Looks a lot more fun than a fight button... whatever it is...)
Twenty days ago, I was asking to die, to leave eRepublik behind... at least for more than twenty days. I failed. Now I am sitting here typing, trying to make sense of my existence, much in the same way as a confused suicidal who has already been placed in an ambulance. What am I doing here?
The quick answer is that I made the decision that the party that I worked hard to build up, the Greek Independence Party, most likely needed some help to prevent pto candidates from taking spots on the congress candidate roster. But that crisis has passed, and the general question remains. Why do I play eRepublik? Why does anyone?
I am reminded of an influential article by PigInZen, The Game is Eternal ... who himself references another article by another eUSA president of times gone by role play vs. game play by scrabman.
Basically, scrabman defined the old school game mechanics view, by which we exist in order to min-max our economic and military advantages, both as individuals and as nations, whereas PigInZen wanted to temper this with a return to some of the silliness that actually keeps people engaged in the game. Where do I stand?
The Options for Button Pushing are Limited
Plato will tell you to work and train everyday. The news media will exhort you to fight in certain battles and to follow prescribed advice for maintaining high wellness. For 95% of the players within eRepublik, these are their buttons. For the remaining 5%, they have consigned themselves to organizing politics, the military, or citizen outreach... poor sods.
If someone told you that there was a cool game out that allowed you to press two buttons every day and to press one button five times a day, and the side who pressed that one button harder won... would you play it? Sounds like a terrible game to me.
The Options for Pushing Pencils are Endless
There has only ever been one route for me, within eRepublik, for true enjoyment and meaningful interaction, and that has been through the articles of my newspaper. Everything else has been a chore (or worse).
However, not everyone is going to write the same types of articles that I write. Not everyone is even going to use their newspaper as the primary means of creative outlet.
But everyone who is not already in love with the min-max-ing, multi-making (have to say it), resource-mongering aspect of the game... should consider playing it another way.
Roleplay is What You Do When Your Toys are Taken Away
No game is more universal or in less need of equipment than roleplay... from cops and robbers, to playing house, to dramatic silliness, everyone has participated on some level and found it fun.
No environment is better for roleplay than the one in which as many buttons and doodads are taken away as possible, indeed! The more of these there are, the more distraction is created, until the conversation is dominated entirely by 'which button do I press now?'
The buttons in eRepublik can be learned entirely in a half hour, leaving the rest of your eLife looking for something else to stimulate your brain. Is developing your character (more than just talking to Lana) something that can keep things worthwhile?
'We Stay Because of the Community!'TM
I have heard this so many times, and have felt it so many times, that it must be true. The reason most of us are tethered to the game is the presence of certain other people who are also here.
This suggests, then, that we should spend most of our time here in interaction with the community, or at least those parts of it with whom we have fun interacting... assuming we want to have fun.
If It's Not Fun, You'll Stop Doing It
I have always known this to be true, and it is both the reason why I initially left Greece and then left the game for a while. The way I was playing the game was not very fun. (In the second case, the way I was playing the game was also hazardous to my good standing with the powers that be...)
The only conclusion is that the way to save the game, if you are not having fun just pressing two buttons every day and one button five times to fight... is to make fun in collaboration with your community, by interacting in fun ways.
The word 'roleplay' should not scare us off. It means only that we are not attempting to be carbon copies of our real-life selves. This article Roleplay versus... Roleplay calls such 'characters' Mary Sues, as they attempt to become paragons of their ideals and virtues and, by extension, to impose them on everyone else.
This is a virtual environment. Nobody is actually hurting at low wellness. Nothing of value is lost if GOLD evaporates into nothing. The only history we are making is the history of our virtual world.
Let us wish we live in interesting times.
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Yes
voted
voted
Ofc v
Buck is Back!
voted. now to read
The game cannot envolve, if admins dont make any real steps against fakes.
The world economy turn with fake's golds, mpp's are making with fakes golds, wars are making with fake's golds.
So the game cannot be a real game without changing game system. "donating", "social medals" , "referre link" should remove...
AND EREPUBLIK NEED A REAL ECONOMIST...
Good to have u back , Buck
"If It's Not Fun, You'll Stop Doing It" all the money xD
~hyuu~
Voted. WB
v
voted
voted
Best. Ever.
Voted
Sweet article
good!!
Buck is back
in first 20,yeah
iLike
VOTED
Good to have u back ,Buck x2
voted
just...fantastic
voted
nice to have you back
welcome back:)
voted
Vote.
Voted. Welcome back.
Buck's back now come back to SEES!
welcome back buck.....
:P:P:P
Vote
voted and welcome back
'Let us wish we live in interesting times.'
wellcome back mate
I <3 Buck Roger
all hail Buck Rogers!!!
o/o/o/o/o/o/o/
Heed the wise words from the intergalactic hero - at least it didn't take 500 years to revive this Buck Rogers
polu kalo arthro bravo
VOTED!!!
Buck welcome back!!!
v
LIKE! Thanks for the articles and shouts!
you're so right, it's about the play and the fellows actors.
Welcome back Buck.
Interesting article. Main problem with the game is that the mechanics allow for a no-brainer routine of actions. I hope V2 will introduce an improved "hard RP" element (character building within the system) and more options to be considered by using the 24-hour system and product differentiation.
WORD
Q3 House - 13 Gold
vote
Great article. Full of insight.
v, the meaning of life growth and learning
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBqe5xvYnNc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBqe5xvYn[..]vYnNc</a>
Exactly what I was thinking when I was in a mission in Greece IRL ^^, there's nothing much than the community of people you work and play with. The rest is not that interesting because most of the players are blind on the real capacities of sociabilization of the game, and because the admin have an economical interest, they don't care that much about people, they need us to buy them gold to live.
As IRL, that's your friends that makes what you are.
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Another great, and I might add truly profound, article. Words of wisdom in the form of the abstract. I personally see this game as a Facebook or better yet Twitter without the Paris Hilton "feel".
buck, sound as always
amen
voted.. nice to see you back:)
generic supportive compliment!!!
v
Loved it, welcome back. Keep teazing our brains...
v
welcome back buck..
Hey man come visit us
v for vote!
Really glad 4 everyone who like it but guess what...there's another game out there called...Real Life keep that in mind
If u found this article "brain teasing" and "profound" i must be from outer space !!!
No intention 2 offend or critisize but games supposed 2 make your every day life easier not 2 forget it...
meta apo 20 meres poy efyges katatregmenos...ayto itan to kalytero ar8ro poy mporoyses na grapseis?
den exeis na mas peis tipota gia to gip?
eisai toso egwkentrikos(5000+ subs "Stop the abuse") kai den diavazeis ti exei ginei me toys kleftes poy mas fortwses?
if you dont have a good (multi)translator in Gip u can pm me and we can still make the world go round
not voted...
ψηφισθεν
Welcome back
Buck, you're one of the most intelligent, sensible, reasonable and active peeps in this game. Add the fact that your newspapers have possibly helped more players to learn game fundamentals than any one other(approaching that of the "Holy Wiki")...and the work you have done to advance Greek politics(and much more)...few players have done more...or are likely to, any time soon.
In light of such awesome abilities...AND STATURE...when you became an American citizen, you still enjoyed prestige...but were trolled by citizens who have long been completely 'committed' to the more popular "political perspectives/ideologies".
Imagine what it's like to begin life in America as a new cit. I'm just glad I chose to focus on economics. Politics would have 'worn me out'(even more than trying to 'advance' in the military)
Fortunately,I've found 'business' life is much more challenging than anything that doesn't rely on 'cults' of personalities.(when you do it with gold EARNED in game)...and , unless, taken to a "whole new level", will usually prove 'disastrous'. Therein...lies the challenge.