the many faces of erep...
Day 590, 07:22
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Published in USA 
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by
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by scrabman
update: Vote this up: http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/-harrison-for-america-comprehensive-platform--846167/1/all
I've had some friends join eRep in the last several weeks. One of them is a friend who has his own professional-type podcast and radio show. He dedicated about 20 minutes of one of his last shows to eRep and talking all about how confusing that it is for a new player but how much he is digging the complexities of this game. That is one of the things that I've been trying to talk to him about to keep him interested. His co-host on the show is hasn't gotten as "into" the game so he wasn't as aware of things (partly because he wasn't asking all the questions that the other was).
In any event, it was fascinating hearing him talk from the perspective of a player who has only been playing for less than a month. I thought about it from the Buddhist perspective of "beginners mind" and how they try to sometimes take a step back and see familiar things as beginners again. It is hard to remember how confusing that the game was when I joined and if it wasn't for people like Justinious, InfernoSD, Peregrin, Makowski, Leroy Combs, and Franco I don't know if I would have stuck around. Those 5 told me so much about how eRep worked and directed me to where I had to go (such as the eUSA Forums). It has been one of those things that I've tried hard to do as a politician in this game as the volume of my mail has increased dramatically with each office that I've won and people have sought me out because of that and I've tried to mentor them so they wouldn't lose interest.
Still, hearing the game described from my friend's point of view was interesting because he is to the point where he's realizing that the real crux of the game isn't the actual game itself but all of the social network and social strategy that goes along with the game. This isn't something that exists within the game but it's something that we have created for the game ... user-added content if you will. The concept of the USA Military is a good example of this as well as are all of the Executive Branch offices and cabinet positions. To a lesser extent the complexity of our Congress boards are also user added content and I can recall when people were pushing for us to abolish them as something that was unnecessary.
There are so many ways that this game can be played and so many niches to fill within the parties, the government, the military, and miscellaneous other positions. It is what I've thought of as the many faces of eRep as I've contemplated the description that my friend was giving. The game is amazingly rich in that way and it is what makes the game enjoyable and playable for me ... as well as or many others I'm sure. As I'm looking for a new job and role to fill after my Presidency finishes this weekend these things have also been very much on my mind. It is the thing that makes everyone's play experience so very different and it's fascinating.
Of course, this is another aspect to my article about Role Playing vs. Game Playing and the (Game Within a Game). But it is different enough to consider it separately. The depth of this game is amazing and it's so unfortunate that some only use it as a way to annoy and abuse others.
There is another side to these complexities in that there is a long learning curve to the game. I see the frustration in the new people who contact me who don't know what they are supposed to be doing. I try to answer their questions or to refer them to someone who could help ... like SirEkim in the Meals on Wheels Program or Bastion in the National Guard. Back when I started playing the game we didn't have to play for weeks before we could do anything interesting like new players do now. I started a paper my first week and looking back through those old articles I can see just how new that I was.
Yet, maybe we need that level of complexity and the gradual increase to weed out those people who would be bored too easily. As my friend sai
"I think that right now, the majority of people the world over are judging it not as a 'Civilisation' or 'Sim City', or as a 'pew pew pew all ur base r belongg 2 us lol', but as a game where subtlety and diplomacy gets results over the course of days and weeks."
Very true ... and most fascinating.
I've had some friends join eRep in the last several weeks. One of them is a friend who has his own professional-type podcast and radio show. He dedicated about 20 minutes of one of his last shows to eRep and talking all about how confusing that it is for a new player but how much he is digging the complexities of this game. That is one of the things that I've been trying to talk to him about to keep him interested. His co-host on the show is hasn't gotten as "into" the game so he wasn't as aware of things (partly because he wasn't asking all the questions that the other was).
In any event, it was fascinating hearing him talk from the perspective of a player who has only been playing for less than a month. I thought about it from the Buddhist perspective of "beginners mind" and how they try to sometimes take a step back and see familiar things as beginners again. It is hard to remember how confusing that the game was when I joined and if it wasn't for people like Justinious, InfernoSD, Peregrin, Makowski, Leroy Combs, and Franco I don't know if I would have stuck around. Those 5 told me so much about how eRep worked and directed me to where I had to go (such as the eUSA Forums). It has been one of those things that I've tried hard to do as a politician in this game as the volume of my mail has increased dramatically with each office that I've won and people have sought me out because of that and I've tried to mentor them so they wouldn't lose interest.
Still, hearing the game described from my friend's point of view was interesting because he is to the point where he's realizing that the real crux of the game isn't the actual game itself but all of the social network and social strategy that goes along with the game. This isn't something that exists within the game but it's something that we have created for the game ... user-added content if you will. The concept of the USA Military is a good example of this as well as are all of the Executive Branch offices and cabinet positions. To a lesser extent the complexity of our Congress boards are also user added content and I can recall when people were pushing for us to abolish them as something that was unnecessary.
There are so many ways that this game can be played and so many niches to fill within the parties, the government, the military, and miscellaneous other positions. It is what I've thought of as the many faces of eRep as I've contemplated the description that my friend was giving. The game is amazingly rich in that way and it is what makes the game enjoyable and playable for me ... as well as or many others I'm sure. As I'm looking for a new job and role to fill after my Presidency finishes this weekend these things have also been very much on my mind. It is the thing that makes everyone's play experience so very different and it's fascinating.
Of course, this is another aspect to my article about Role Playing vs. Game Playing and the (Game Within a Game). But it is different enough to consider it separately. The depth of this game is amazing and it's so unfortunate that some only use it as a way to annoy and abuse others.
There is another side to these complexities in that there is a long learning curve to the game. I see the frustration in the new people who contact me who don't know what they are supposed to be doing. I try to answer their questions or to refer them to someone who could help ... like SirEkim in the Meals on Wheels Program or Bastion in the National Guard. Back when I started playing the game we didn't have to play for weeks before we could do anything interesting like new players do now. I started a paper my first week and looking back through those old articles I can see just how new that I was.
Yet, maybe we need that level of complexity and the gradual increase to weed out those people who would be bored too easily. As my friend sai
😛
"I think that right now, the majority of people the world over are judging it not as a 'Civilisation' or 'Sim City', or as a 'pew pew pew all ur base r belongg 2 us lol', but as a game where subtlety and diplomacy gets results over the course of days and weeks."
Very true ... and most fascinating.
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pertamaxxx
thanks for thinking of us : )
Damn good article Scrab, and what you've said in the article is very true. Makes me reflect on those that helped me started and those that I helped get started...
Agreed and voted. Great article.
Great article!
Nice article 🙂 This games social aspect sure is complex! But they really need to work more with the economic aspect of the game and hopefully implement a cooler war module.
I'd vote it, but I didn't read it all the way.
/selfimportance
When I first joined, I never expected how in-depth the game was nor how much I would enjoy it. It is quickly taking over my life.
Great article.
@Lex ... it has taken over my life. Being President so long has worn me out. I'm looking forward to passing the baton as I would like to reclaim some of my former life and do some other activities for a while. LOL!
Emerick is great...
http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/emerick-the-great-843887/1/20" target="_blank">http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/emer[..]/1/20
Hey nice article!
love the article. just one thing. it sai😛
"I see the frustration in the new people who contact me who don't know what they are supposed to be doing. I try to answer their questions or to refer them to someone who could help ... like SirEkim in the Meals on Wheels Program or Bastion in the National Guard."
isnht Bastion in MI.
Where's my face?
voted, I only hope whoever is elected in the next few days understands the game the way you do.
Voted, interesting thinking~
This is why the game grasps so many people and sucks them in, like you. 🙂 Have fun getting away.
Excellent article Scrab -- it's tough for us to remember life as a newb sometimes. And this game is addicting.
On the scale of things, I'm much newer than you, but part of what keeps me playing is helping others figure things out. I'm by no stretch of the imagination an eRep expert, but I can point people in the right direction. I've explained many times that food doesn't spoil, that Ireland really doesn't hate us, and that the hospital can only be used once per day... 😉 Citizen education is one of the best ways to keep players interested and involved. Great article!!
I'm new here myself and I can relate. I stuck around because of all the interesting possibilities. You can do so much here with a little time and socializing. lol. 😃
Terrific article. Voted
Glad to see the President question the idolization of "game mechanics" simplistically understood. As I've said for a while, people's behavior, desires, etc.: that IS the game.
http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/the-abandoned-road-845557/1/20" target="_blank">http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/the-[..]/1/20
The biggest problem I've found here has been that so many people have their heads up their own asses and use this game as a way to feel important. Few people take the time to talk to the newer folks and thus, few new folks ever grasp what the game is about. Few opportunities are granted to newer players as older players are often handed things undeservedly based upon how long their account has sat on the game. SirEkim, while a good example of a hardworking self-made player (if you will), is a rarity due to the fact that few players have much to gain from taking any sort of initiative around here. While I doubt that much of this will ever change (as it seems that many players seem to find comfort in their heads remaining up their own posteriors), this is real problem with this community. It's just a shame there's not more Benn Dover's (one of the first people to take the time to say hello to me) as well as those that are on your list, scrabman.
I agree with Tyler Jenkins wholeheartedly, but I think America is still trying to find a balance between relying on our older experienced players and allowing our newer players to run loose and try new things. I think one of the biggest problems America has is that many of our new players are far younger on average than say a country like Hungary. Americans get internet access at a much earlier age than most countries and I would say that most of our new players are simply too young to understand the depth of what they are playing and the repercussions of their statements and actions. I'm not saying this as a shot at guys who are high school age or younger because they deserve a shot as much as anyone else. I'm only saying this because I think this is what our leaders understand and are trying to work with everyday.
Great article, finally subscribed lol, I kid.
Agreed with Tyler, but there are many older players glad to help out, especially on irc. I was helped out quite a lot by the more senior players when I started out.
I also recall a recent conversation with a foreign player where he pointed out how much new American run their mouths. Even if they don't know what they're talking about, it's refreshing to see.
Finally, I don't believe there is anything good about having to wait for weeks or more to get into the game. It gets harder and harder for N00bs everyday, and I think it is primarily our fault. Especially with how serious we've allowed ourselves to become.
This must be what makes a game interesting for me: lots of faces. Looking back, all of my favorite games have been balanced out to allow for a wide variety of approaches of play.
I'm glad to say that in the past couple weeks I've been sending a short welcoming message to every player that joins the game here in Japan, leaving myself open for questions, and that it has been rather successful. Unfortunate how quickly it becomes time-consuming just going to each profile and sending; would be so much easier if eRep just allowed us to use our mass messengers. Eh, but it's still fulfilling to reply to their questions.
Wow! I can't believe I'm saying this, so you'd better write it down! Great article, Scrabman. I also agree with Lenore. Citizen education is job 1.
I try help others the way I was helped. I hope that keeps people playing.
Great job, scrabby.
Ill have you know I signed up and never got anything from the meals on wheels. I even PM you and you never said anything. Not that it will do anything for me now, seeing as how I have enough money to support myself now.
Amazingly written and full of truth and win. As a beginner, this make me excited.
Well done Scrabbers. Really a great article. Ast X
Excellent insights, thanks scrabman. My own funny newb story ... When I began at eRep, I read that higher quality food would improve my wellness, so I'd scroll through the food market and buy food that sounded healthy, like "Whole Grain Foods" instead of "Greezy Cheezeburgers". 🙂
@Teucer - great point, had never thought of that before, but very true.
I think that the eRepublic this is our opportunity to create the new wonderful society. Yes, virtual society. But that is beginning. Please, saw on to the map of the eUSA. The eUSA – this is the peaceful society. The War – is a way of surviving, but not conquering. The eUSA have the lowest import taxes. We dose not fight for the recourses, we are buy it. The Power and the Honor – that is our way.
Wow, this is a really great article. You really shine when you wax philosophical.
Justinious smells like onion rings, and i LOVE onion rings that's why i stayed.
like anything else, you have to want to learn.
it's pretty simply really. It's the training before you
get to level 5 and not working every day that
shoots people down. Hard to run a company when your
employees don't show up.
The key is just getting people involved in outside websites like eusforum so it becomes more than a monotonous 2-click and you learn about what is happening in the game.
^ Nah, you don't *need* offsite stuff. USA got by for a long time almost entirely by the media. It took at least 6 months for an offsite forum to really take hold. And, as I did then, I still prefer the media today; keeps me just as involved as other stuff can.
Well Scrab, I'm about a month and a half in, give or take. But I couldn't agree with you more. Great article.
HAPPY 4th of July my fellow Americans \o/, DIRGAHAYU USA 😃