Reality Check: The NEW New World

Day 1,113, 13:53 • Published in South Africa South Africa • by Dycey Farley

eRep invites players to join in order to create the world as they wish to see it. Since we know we’re playing a game, many of us focus on the fun of pushing the war button while others create business empires. Above all, we try to create community as we work together to achieve national / team goals.

Our work is sometimes thwarted by game changes. Those who adapt quickly rebound quickly. Those who complain of changes while taking no steps to adjust their game play fall behind.

eRep is going through drastic changes right now. Whether you like or hate them, one thing is indisputable: the game is interesting again, at least until we settle into what will surely become our new rut in a month or two.



When V2 was released, I wrote an article decrying that eRep had become a money game. Those with access to funds would control those who were lacking. This has proven to be the case, with offers to spend irl cash in order to buy BH medals, weps or ads gaining more influence than reputations for team building, honesty or good strategies. Players hungry for medals or attention willingly fall victim to group think as the general economic atmosphere turns our attention from group goals to individual achievement.

The new RMs are further tearing group play apart. In order to maintain productivity bonuses, countries are forced to conquer their neighbors. As individual countries scramble to protect their economic interests, they turn a blind eye as allies are being attacked and, in some cases, destroyed. Economic demands are driving wedges in established alliances as new ones arise. Many players are feeling frustrated, hurt or confused, some to the point of leaving the game.

There are a few things we can all do as we ride the tides of change yet again. Here are a few ideas:

Be open to changes and avoid getting emotional. I know we all spend a lot of time investing ourselves in our countries and their alliances. We love to troll the enemy and face them on the battlefield. Now, however, it may be in the best interest of nations to forge bonds with past rivals, even those we’ve spent the past several years trying to defeat. Framing the new alliances in terms of economics rather than borders will help put changes in perspective.

If you’re a resident of a small country or one without a large and powerful military, prepare to get carved up like a Christmas goose. You will be attacked for your RMs so large neighboring nations can maintain production. You may be allowed some of your regions, but your business owners will struggle to keep up because they’ll never receive the bonuses. Your priorities may come into question as you’re forced to ask yourself if money or community is more important.



eRep is very much a social experience and experiment. For me as with many others, the community keeps us coming back much more than cartoon medals or make-believe wealth. Unless you’re very fortunate, accomplishments in the game will mean little in your real life. Bosses and teachers couldn’t care less about your battlefield “heroism,” the control you’ve gained over others, or the “gold” you hold in your inventory. You can’t get into an eRep helicopter to speed your commute or move your furniture into your eRep house. Yes, Benn Dover used his eRep experience in his college admissions essay, but practical uses for this game are few.

There’s an exception to the above, though: This game does provide opportunities for each of us to make positive impacts on others (or negative, if you’re a jerk) and to learn about our personal strengths and weaknesses as we interact with fellow players. That’s the most valuable irl application of this fantasy world.

With that in mind, I invite you to find a group, no matter the size, that provides a supportive community for you. Be group-minded when dealing with them, holding the needs of all over those of one or two, even those of a benefactor, and certainly over your ego. We all make mistakes in life and in game play. Having a circle of support that treats you with respect and, when needed, forgiveness makes the irl life lessons we come across in eRep much easier. More important, community groups are steadfast , a quality that’s more valuable now than ever. After all, we all need a few people we’re confident have our backs as we head into an ever-changing and uncertain efuture.