Is Erepublik A Game?

Day 2,577, 23:17 • Published in USA USA • by Dio Salaar


Is Erepublik a game?

That seems like a silly question now, doesn’t it? “Why, of course its a game, Swagg!” is probably what you are thinking right now. And it fits the definition of a game, right?

From Wikipedia:


But you see, i would argue, that Erepublik is not just a game. Its much, much more than that. And losing sight of that, is what is killing this game.

To again quote Wikipedia:


Goals. Rules. Challenge. Interaction.

Goals.



I’d say almost everybody has goals in this game. Your goal could be to be the King of a political party, you could aspire to be president an absurd amount of times, maybe you want to be a prolific tank, or commander of the #1 MU in the world. Or you could simply desire to have fun and play the game, and be a member of the community. But almost everyone comes to find some sort of goal.

Rules



Of course there are rules, this is a game, after all. Games with no rules get really chaotic, really fast. Some of the rules are laid out in writing for us, while others are more implied. Rules such as “Don’t let our number one enemy take over our country,” and "don’t assist people in doing the aforementioned deeds.”

Challenge



This one is a little less straightforward. This one goes back to your goals. If your goal is to be president, then you face the challenge of getting ready to be elected, actually getting elected, then being a good president. If your goal is to get a 10 Media moguls, then your challenge is to be a voice that stands above the rest in a game with so many voices. But no matter what your goal is, you will face some challenges.

Interaction



See, this one is my favorite of the bunch. This is the one thing that most speaks to me. The interactions of this game create the game’s community. From what I understand, the community was at its best back in 2009-2010. I unfortunately was not around to experience this, not joining the game until 2012. But even so, there is one thing that has become clear to me.

The players of Erepublik have created a game beyond the game. They have created a vast network of communities that extend well beyond the bounds of this simple browser game.

Honestly, the community is the one thing that administration can’t screw up, so long as we don’t let them. I have, right now on my facebook friends list, at least 10 people whom I have met through Erepublik. Some people (these two in particular) have become like brothers to me. Countless more I am glad to call my friends.

You see that is why I asked that question. Because this community is something that can not be destroyed by the admins, if we refuse to let it. It can only be destroyed by us. And that is the key. Build our community. Make it less toxic, more accepting, and more nurturing. This pessimistic attitude of “oh well, game is dying, f*ck it” is doing nothing to help. Maybe, just maybe, if we show the admin team that we care about this game, maybe they will have some motivation to start fixing it.

So again I’ll ask the question.

Is this a game?

To that I answer no, Erepublik is not a game. Yes, there is a game called Erepublik, but that is not what we are all participating in. Erepublik is a social network built around a game. And that is the key to being an Erepublik Player. Play the game yes, but also play the social network, because that, is what Erepublik really is.


Until Next Time, eWorld
Swagg