Join the new world

Erepublik is a game of ebbs and flows. People come and go. Then sometimes they come back again. (sometimes they go yet again) I am one such I played during the waning days of V1. Then one day in early 2010, I decided I wasn't feeling it anymore. I gave away what food, weapons, currency, and gold I had accumulated and logged out. For several years this game and my profile mouldered virtually forgotten in the recesses of my mind. An email about a gold mine in the spring of 2013 piqued my curiosity so I logged in. I haven't left since. This time around I found purpose and causes I'm passionate about to keep me coming back for more.





I'm a Federalist. Joining the Feds was the best decision I made early on in my return. In my party I found a warm, friendly, and inclusive group. I was given opportunities to get involved, and before long was trusted with increasing positions of responsibility. Shortly after joining the party the Feds experienced a very large turnover in senior leadership. A rising generation of leaders of which I consider myself a part of stepped in to fill that void. My purpose and passion was to keep the number 1 party strong, stable, and true to its values. I don't claim to have done this alone many others have contributed incalculable effort to the betterment of the Federalist Party. It's been and will continue to be an honor and a privilege to be a part of that.






In addition to finding purpose in my party, I also found it in ATO work. When I first logged in looking for gold the number 2 Party with well over 700 members was the AFA with the traitor Ajay Bruno in his current incarnation of Ronald Gipper Reagan entrenched as Party President. I initially joined that party until I realized RGR = Ajay. Today we have players who first logged in 6 months ago who have no idea who or what Ajay is. This is both a very good thing and a somewhat bad thing. While the Department of Homeland Security will likely remain in place for some time, the PTO is broken after a long struggle. It's not as tough or stressful as it once was.





Erepublik on the surface can appear slow, unchanging, and static. In truth in many ways it is. However, change frequently visits us. Alliances rise and fall, PTOs get busted, houses are reintroduced etc. In all of this tumult and upheaval motivation and purpose can change over time. If they don't you'll see people do what I did in V1: just stop logging in. As I mentioned above people come and go. Sometimes not fully but those who were once a vibrant part of the community now just kind of drop in for a visit. They look around, say hello and then just quietly log out until their next drop in. The last little while I've been thinking on that, and I've come up with 3 plausible reasons for the attrition of this game.



Those logging into erepublik wanting to be a master politician, economic tycoon, or great warrior without finding or assimilating into the meta quickly become disillusioned. They feel like key parts are missing and log out never to return. Or.....



Many new players express a desire to get into Congress. They lobby, publish articles, and approach those they see as the gatekeepers about an opportunity to get in. Then maybe the worst possible thing happens for them they get into Congress and it's well Congress. Sometimes the pursuit of a goal is more fun than actually achieving it. Or maybe....



You don't often see former real life Presidents get involved in politics very much after their terms are finished. They don't run for Congress, a Senate seat, Mayor, or Governor. Why? Because they've reached the pinnacle that untold millions can only dream about. After that what's the point? Nothing else can equal that accomplishment. That's a hard feeling to shake off and stay motivated through.




Ultimately this is a game and should be fun. Fun is different for everyone but it in my opinion is what keeps us logging in over and over in spite of the obvious flaws here in Plato's universe. I've found fun, purpose, and passion in my Party , ATO, Congress food fights, and serving in various Presidential cabinets. What's fun for you? What gives you purpose and rouses your passion?