An eAmerican Perspective – Community vs Design?

Day 532, 16:10 • Published in USA USA • by Ananias

In my first post, I introduced my primary motivation in playing eRepublik:

I play this game with the sole intent to win it for the eUnited States of America.

In my second post, I jumped ahead in my planned article schedule to address the challenges present in pursuing a strictly expansionist methodology for victory. To summarize:

I believe that we can achieve victory without territorial expansion.

I believe that there is value in the perception of other as eRepublik as, ostensibly, a social networking environment. One of the great elements of eRepublik is that those that engage in the community automatically are part of an affinity group. By affinity group I mean that across a diverse spectrum of virtual citizens there is a common affinity…we are all playing the same game. Though our motivations may differ, the fact that we all are playing the same game and therefore governed in our communications channels by the same foundational game mechanics, we are collectively a community. However for those that disagree with my approach to eRepublik as a game that can be won or lost, I think it is important to acknowledge that their perspective of eRepublik as exclusively a social simulation is contradicted by the design of the game mechanics and their propensity (which I share) to rely on "out-of-game" communications to enhance the community aspect of eRepublik.

For example:

Why can’t you PM all of your friends at the same time? And why on earth would they limit even individual communications with “captcha” given that PMs are not publically accessible (no unique email addresses)? While shouting is an opportunity for brief messages, the fact that only the most current shouts are displayed means that as your friend group increases, the effectiveness of shouts as an effective means of communication diminishes. Furthermore, there is a RL financial expense to increase your shouts, which is the only method available, in-game, to reach those that you have connected with.

Why do we have out-of-game forums? I think that most of the individuals that read this article would readily attest to the fact that, without the eUS forums, and in my personal case, theUSWP.org, game play and communications would not be nearly as rich and the ability to truly connect with other players would not be nearly as effective. Additionally, eRepublik maintains its own forums, in-game, as well…why are they not used exclusively? I would put forward that because eRepublik is not specifically designed to serve as a social networking site, they have made every communication channel publically accessible.

Why do so many use IRC? Why didn’t eRepublik design chat functionality into the game?

I think that the intended purpose of eRepublik, other than to serve as a commercially successful internet enterprise, is more successfully defined by what is absent and requires accommodation, rather than what is present. To those that disagree with my motivations for playing the game, or my approach to “winning” the game, I will share the following observation:

I believe that the rich social network that adds so much to the eRepublik experience is based almost entirely on our affinity for the game and the community of individuals that play it. It is an external construct to the game developed by the community as an addition to the game rather than an intentional design element of the game.

Therefore, there are three very valid approaches to the game, just as with any other recreation…if you are the type of player that enjoys playing poker or scrabble (hat tip to President Scrabman) for the conversation and meeting new people, the likelihood is that the value of eRepublik to you is the interaction around the game. If you are the type of player that is there for the competition and not the interaction, the likelihood is that the value of eRepublik is the opportunity for victory. And, finally, there are those that enjoy a mix of both, they like the interaction and the opportunity to win, but their focus is not exclusively one one or the other, they simply like to indulge in friendly competition with an opportunity to win.

So, in effect, if you fall into the second or third category in respect to eRepublik, my perspective on the game may have some value to you, if you are in the first category, it will probably not have value…its really that simple.

For those of you that are interested in my perspective on winning the game, with a focus on eUS victory in the game, the rest of this series is for you. In my next installment I will discuss what I perceive as the value of organization, and a possible alternative strategy aimed as leveraging in-game mechanics for that purpose.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate your time.