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Utopian and Scientific e-Socialism: An Interview with Fred Engels

While browsing around in the stacks at the vast underground library being built by the Internationale, looking for some new materials on Kolmogorov-Chaitin complexity, I ran into SFP stalwart and leading theoritician Fredrick Engels.


Section of the Internationale e-Revolutionary Library devoted to Game Mechanics

As workers and e-revolutionaries from around the New World continued to cart in, catalog and shelve works on every imaginable subject, I took the opportunity to ask Comrade Engels, one of the e-world's leading advocates of the Commune system, a few questions.

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What super power would you like to have and why?


I don't know if it's a superpower but time travel would be the coolest I think. Maybe it's because I love history so much, but I could go back, hit baby Hitler in the face with a shovel, go see if Jesus actually did all the stuff people say he's done, and watch the Big Bang (If that's possible). It would be awesome.



Fred, you're well-known as one of the most committed far-leftists of the far-leftists in the Socialist Freedom Party. You've put a lot of effort into analyzing the internal workings of eRepublik from a Marxist perspective. Why are you so committed to doing this type of analysis of game play?

I don't know it's almost second nature to me. This game is really fun because it provides such a wide range of how to play the game and to try and decipher how the game works, and how to implement my own theories in the game, it's outstanding fun. Also I feel this analysis needs to be done or else we might not get the kind of support we want. If you can't explain how the capitalist mode of production exploits the workers labor-power, and how the commune doesn't, the worker would never want to work in a commune where the person only makes 1 USD a day.


When can we expect to see the next installment of your series on communes in eRepublik?

I never knew so many people were interested in my articles. I had 30 votes on my article yet I'm getting Private Messages left and right from people asking when Part 2 is coming out. I even found these forums where my articles are being discussed. Last week I wanted to start writing on part two but I was very busy studying and writing other things for my cousin. Hopefully it will come out sometime this week, that's if I'm not too terribly busy.


Portrait of an e-Revolutionary as a Young Man


If you could make one change to the eRepbulik software, what would it be?

I would definitely like the minimum wage to be removed. Since we're always going to have to have a minimum wage we'll always need capital to buy labor-power. This makes it harder for the communes once capitalism is thrown in the dustbin because now we have to always have a certain amount of money in circulation, so we'd always have the burden of having to pay minimum wage. It's a complete nuisance for the commune system, and I imagine libertarians too.



Along with some other Freedom Socialists, you've been a sharp critic of the new Democratic Party and their self-promotion as "The Game Mechanics Party". In somewhat less strident terms than you used, the Federalist Party and some Libertarians have also criticized so-called "anti-partisanship" as expressed by this group. What do you think is the best role for political parties in eRepublik? And are you ready to give Harrison Richardson a big e-hug? 😉

I think there are many roles that political parties play. The most basic way I can describe what a political party does is it creates a community where people having somewhat of the same views can band together and try to get those views into the government. In the process of doing this they create friendships, a feeling of belonging, and mushy stuff like that.

What bugs me the most about the game mechanics like Harrison Richardson is the way they present and defend their views. Having the opinion that the point of the game is to conquer the world is one you can have. It's one I'll debate. And I can respect you if you want to have an honest debate about it.

The mechanics are not interested in debate though, if you try and debate them you're brushed off as stupid, naive, and a troll that doesn't follow "game mechanics". That's my biggest problem with them. It's not that they have the opinions of world domination, mixed economics, etc, etc, but how they go about demonizing you if you disagree with them.


e-Socialist Mechanic at Work


What's up with the Socialist Freedom Party? Why should e-USA citizens support it?

Many things are up with the SFP, the more appropriate question is, " What's not up with the SFP". Come on we have our Bear Cavalry Unit fighting in resistance wars across the world fighting PEACE imperialism, we have the SFP involved in the newly created Internationale with Osmany Ramon (the ex-President of the Socialist Freedom Party) as the Chairman as said organization. We have Jude Connors in Congress, with a couple more people that will be running for congress this time around. This is a exciting time for the SFP because it's like it's rebirth after the World War. Of course we have the party idiot Alex Lorre in the IRC.

Citizens should support our party because we're a party that uses critical thinking to always look at ways to improve our country and the conditions in which we live in. It's a small community where your voice will be heard. It's not only a party for communists either, we have plenty of people like Jude Connors who is more of a progressive than a Marxist or left-anarchist. And we have the word "FREEDOM" in our name! Americans love freedom!


The Freedom Road