Join the new world

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. — Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

The big controversy of the day is the new feature that allows eCitizens to buy training with eGold. In and of itself, this doesn't seem like a big deal, except that it allows the quick military advancement of players with more RL money than time.

Since I myself have no intention of ever spending a dime on the game, I do not like the idea of any RL money artificially inflating the game, so (perhaps counter-intuitively) I am glad that eRepublik's engineers have decided to install eGold sinks, such as the training programs, the advertising billboards, and whatever other ridiculous game features they can imagine. If anything, there should be more of them. I would like to see a greater variety of buildings and market items, anything on which players and nations can burn their Gold.

Shouldn't a player with multiple companies have an office building? And where do the eSenators go to vote on their policies? What might a Capitol building add to a territory? Or Cultural Centers so that eCitizens can show off their eFilms? Hypothetically, all future sink features will allow for quicker, richer, more dynamic gameplay.

The two main game goals right now are Wealth and Political Power, though there are a number of other smaller objectives. What if Culture and Art were introduced into the game? Not in a subjective sense (though there are many talented writers and digital artists in the New World), but as material objectives? A wealthy player could help to improve the virtual landscape of a territory. (This game is a little flat, visually.) Another successful player could buy air time on a syndicated video or radio program, such as they have in Kingdom of Loathing.

In summation, the Gold sinks (such as the plutocratic military advancement mechanic) are necessary, and all these fake capitalists should stop being such crybabies. A few super rich players will make this game extremely boring for everyone (including themselves), unless the game designers continue to create more Gold burning opportunities such as Training for Gold.