Join the new world

Just two days away from being 60 days old here in eRep, I thought it might be a good idea to share some of what I have learned and some thoughts thus far. I think it would be appropriate to first thank someone who helped me out along the way.That person being, Chris Willson - Former Deputy Secretary of Defense. He helped me immensely when it comes to understanding this game and has just generally supported me all along the way. Chris taught me well and now I have become the person helping and supporting others. Props to you Chris.

I joined eRep at a very volatile time for the eUS and the eworld in general. The day that I joined was either the very day or the day before (can't quite remember) that California was attacked and conquered. To show my noobishness and complete lack of understanding of game mechanics at the time, one of my first shouts was something to the effect of "So, how long until we take California back?" I of course assumed it would be immediately, but as we all know, thanks to certain events, we were nearly wiped completely off the map before we actually had the chance to regain the initiative. This taught me one of my first lessons about eRep...be patient, oh and also...there are BUGS that need to be worked out in this game!

But during that time and ever since, I have also realized one of the best parts of this game...the people. Of course there will be jerks no matter where you are (internet or RL) but for the most part, most everyone that I have come across has been a good person. There are countless people that have added to the fun of this game for me.

Whether it's discussing strategy in the USForum or just generally bullshitting there or through PM. Or whether it's reading other people's articles and seeing the various comments and then adding my own. Or even reading the in-game forum, which usually sucks ass, but it has it's moments. In fact, I don't think I have laughed harder at anything in this game as I did when I read the FORM THE STRONG GOVERNMENT thread (the first time I mean). It's the variety of people that make this game what it is.

And I know a lot of people say that RL should not be brought into this game at all, and for the most part, I agree. But there is a part of RL that I think has it's place in this game and that's pride for ones country. To understand what I mean by that, you first should not confuse arrogance and pride. In fact, as far as the military aspect of this game is concerned, it's probably arrogance that got us into this war and it's pride that will get us out of it.

It's pride for one's country that makes people help one another to make their ecountry stronger. It's pride for one's country that makes people spend RL money to do all they can to ensure the survival of their ecountry. It's pride that at least partially gives people a reason to pay attention to the game, learn it, and stay involved. So while "too much" pride can be a bad thing, the "right amount" of pride is a plus as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure there are those that will disagree, but that's my take on it.

At first glance, eRep seemed simple and seemed as if it was going to be boring as hell. But when I got into it, it actually became quite complex and just as entertaining, if not moreso, than any other game I have ever played. Not because of graphics or "action", it is in large part due to the "openness" of the game, meaning there is no set direction that you MUST follow. It is open to be played as you wish to play it and no one way is necessarily superior to any other. It's all a matter of what you want to get out of it and once you realize this, then you have realized the greatest aspect of this game IMO.

So let me just thank you all, especially those that I interact with on a daily basis, for making my time spent here thus far a pleasurable experience (Not quite as pleasurable as the massage parlor down the street because they love me long time, but still). I look forward to seeing what the next few months bring and making new friends in the process. Thanks for taking the time to read this and please vote and sub if you enjoyed, and even if you didn't, just click the damn buttons. 😛