The Unbearable Lightness of eRepublik
wookyjack
Come in! Join my community of splendor and entertainment...but bring your wallets!!!
I read a book back in my community college days called The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and like any young college student didn’t give the story much thought because I was 18 and free to do what the hell I wanted. When erepublik came around in 2009 it captured me because it seethed with activity that kept me entertained for hours for nearly a year or so. But then I left. I don’t remember why. I just forgot about it I guess.
I returned in February 2014 and was immediately greeted by DiscoMusolini. He gave me 10 gold to spend on upgrading my training grounds. What an awesome gesture to receive my first day back! All of a sudden I was excited to get back into this game. Sle7en and Trekker greeted me in the Federalist Party and gave me a ehome. This was a glorious welcome. After engaging myself with players, politics, military and media again I realized the story hadn’t changed with erepublik’s promises of a second elife. Today I realized that erepublik wasn’t really doing any of the work to retain my interest...the people playing alongside me did that!
Should we take elife seriously or not? Should we think of it as heavy or light? Perhaps we shouldn’t take it too seriously, enjoy the pleasures it affords, and reject all heavier philosophies of meaning. But is this solution satisfactory?
The problem with the light life is that its meaninglessness. If everything happens only once, it might as well not have happened at all. In response, all one can do is live for beauty and pleasure. Yet, paradoxically, we find the insignificance of our elives unbearable–the unbearable lightness of being. If life lacks objective meaning, nihilism beckons, unless we act as if our actions eternally recur. But then the heaviness of our actions and choices crushes us under their weight.
eRepublik offers a real second life. - guardian.co.uk
eRepublik creates multiplayer global strategy game. - The New York Times
Those are true statements. But the main ingredient of what keeps this business running is obscure
😛Gold. Here we are. Basking in all the glory Plato has to offer us. The game is in decline and once again it is up to us to keep this shitheap alive. Are you bored? Since my last article I am wondering if my time is worth sinking into this browser game any more. The conundrums of erepublik are nothing deeply embedded that need digging or deciphering.
The plain truth is right here.
The game is struggling in community. Its trying to find a Community Manager. eUSA has a vast community. There is a handful of players that will still pay Plato for attention. We have this tournament going on right now. But erepublik may just be realizing that the lack of community could be sinking this ship.
Its creative, eye catching, but it doesn’t cater to about 98% of us who click still.
I last bought two war stashes for two players who have been great additions to the eUSA community. But I am struggling keeping active with this game. Why don’t I quit? Because a great many players in this game are fun to collaborate and fight with. The meta-community has kept me 95% entertained this whole time since I’ve been back. I was thinking about how others who have been here longer than me have survived this.
It has to be because of the community because a majority of the community does not spend money (I would assume). Then Plato skims the surface for the crazy mofos that will spend more and more money on this game and NEVER join the meta-game. These people must not know what an xbox or ps3 is because it drives me absolutely insane that hundreds of dollars is spent supporting a webpage that drives your ePeen.
Another thing that did keep my interest in this game was obtaining a Q7 tank factory. Well, I got that after spending money. Then Plato whipped out a grip of bombs on Day 2500 and I spent my remaining gold. The tank factory lost its appeal overnight. I downgraded that sucker and created some cc to help fight the Argentina AS. I was reimbursed and thankful for that. But Plato’s offering of big bombs for ⅓ the cost of a Q7 tank factory just blew my mind. Yeah, its temporary, but we get a lot of this ‘one time only’ crap don’t we? Its never one time. Now I am thinking I need to sit on this remaining fortune I bought for myself so I can blow it all again because that would be fun to do for one evening. This one evening will be worth a few hundred dollars? Holy shit! I should have bought a new computer game or console game because at least that amount of money would keep me entertained for weeks!!!
It put things into perspective for me.
1 | - Clicking does not matter because I play such an insignificant role military wise = elife is unbearable.
2 | - Having a bunch of gold only matters in this game and these people who buy are only important to Plato = elife is unbearable.
3 | - Some things matter = the community we have is bearable and occasionally meaningful. The community is the most valuable thing...and its free.
Wisdom is, in large part, differentiating what matters from what doesn’t.
What am I saying? I don’t see a need to quit the game entirely because the people I play with here are bearable. I can embrace the heaviness of drama that is instigated between players because it has a unique return of enjoyment or displeasure that doesn’t impact my wallet. Plato makes us lightly suffer because if we do spend money and the return of enjoyment is less than satisfactory, then I’m just beating myself up for faulting into a social experiment that is laughing at my face for spending real life money.
+1 for Plato. 0 for me. I have no money left to give this game, nor a desire to. I will look back at the few hundred dollars I spent and take this lesson learne
😛the community is the best value and the knowledge people take away from knowing me in this game is bearable enough, liked or disliked, because that is what matters most.
Comments
The players I talk with almost on a daily basis know what I mean. And that is what keeps me around. Thank you for putting up with me! xD
we love you wooky
ilu ms firefly 🙂
Best things in life are free 🙂
Haha yup and Plato be like "you can give them to the birds and bees cuz I want money!" Lol
Well written and well said. Much that would not be bearable when paid for is when it costs nothing but time.
oooo, i like that last line you said 😃
"The community is the best value and the knowledge people take away from knowing me in this game is bearable enough, liked or disliked, because that is what matters most."
That says it all.
Thanks man, and its people like you who try to get involved with the meta that makes it bearable being here!
v + s
ty sir
Well written article.
Good job.
thx shiloh, its nice hearing from the older players 🙂
Sniped
Never once have I given money to this game, and I probably never will, but you know, I'm still here, and I'm staying, if for no other reason than to see what silliness our community pulls next.
I have the goofiest notion of all... We dig up Aramec and make him run for Potus! wouldn't that be some awesome silliness
I support this.
I don't think the eWorld is ready yet, though I wouldn't say it's impossible. Who knows? There might not even be that much digging involved. 🙂
Pffft, that sounds like a stupid ass idea. That guy was a total faggot.
you know you want to
Ask RaccoonGoon why I'm not going to.
"I will look back at the few hundred dollars I spent and take this lesson learne😛 the community is the best value"
unfortunately most people that throw hundreds if not thousands of dollars/euros in this game realize this after spending way, way too much. many tanks have stopped but so many keep spending. and any new player/tank falls for that. also that's why plato is not drastically improving anything cause it gets money from new players. even after 7 years there are still people who hear about the game for the first time and are excited about it. sure we get something changed every once in a while but is nothing to make you go "WOW, now I really have something to do here, will keep entertained for months". most of the stuff is the same for years. and if you don't get involved in politics all you have to do is press one red button till your wallet runs dry. I'm only sticking around to get to 100 and see where is going, if the new management will actually drastically change things. I'm like a perpetuum mobile I guess.
Yeah, we figured it out too late huh? haha. thanks for your comment. its nice to hear some insight on this from a D4 player.
WOOOOKYYYYYYYYYYY 🙁
well written, I agree with most of it.
voted o/
There are many good writers and many strong communities.
I blame Pfeiffer for my problems. I encourage you to do the same.
Pffff, that's weak and you know it 😛
We are all responsible for our own destinies 🙂
LOL! You didn't take that seriously, did you?
I may not have done, but others may. Who can say? I did not say this. I was never here.
i think you have it backward WJ.. You 1, Plato 0... way to recognize that this is a dying game and there is no need to spend your money on it. The community is really the only reason a lot of us are still here.
well, i beat myself up because I could have used that money towards a car payment xD but yeah, I don't disagree with you 😛
SMH
(slow claps)
(queue 80's slow mo music, wookyjack fistpumps the air as he exits the football field)
Well written wooky! Thanks!
thx Phil 😉