IV: What Have You Gained From This Game?
Day 1,847, 08:16
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Published in USA 
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by
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by The Artful Dodge
Greetings programs (Tron reference for the win)
This article will be a change of pace from the snark and poor journalism of my first few articles. Today I'd like to take some time to give my thoughts on what is gained from spending time with eRepublik.
This is my serious face
Stumbling through the annals of eRep media, I came across this piece from Candor, where he questions the well-being of those who would choose to attend the recent eRep summit.
This got me thinking: what, if anything, sets eRep apart from other online games? Is there a value to this game beyond mere entertainment?
The obvious answer is the sense of community. Few places will you find the kind of....(mature? no that obviously isn't right...respectf...no not quite...) Ok, so I can't think of an appropriate adjective, but it is rare to find the kind of community that you can find if you venture into the Metaverse of eRepublik.
Part of this is due to the nature of forums and IRC, part to the media module in-game, which gives everyone (sometimes unfortunately) a voice.
Beyond the social benefits though, does eRep give us anything of value? Some would argue not at all, it is a game nothing more, any who treat it differently are sad/pathetic/unhinged. Well, I say that you can gain more from eRep than other games.
They like me, they really like me
Much of this game is role-playing to one degree or another. We act as journalists, politicians, generals and business owners. While much of this is just derping around and being obnoxious, I feel there is more to be gained than just the satisfaction of playing a game.
I started playing this game in college. It was summer, I was alone and bored and the concept of the game appealed to me. World War III was brewing and I thought, "Sure, I can play at being *insert position* here." Almost 4 years later, I can see the impact the game had on my actual, tangible, real life.
Writing articles for myself and my party, I built writing skills that I leveraged to get my first campus journalism job. Organizing different activities with party and eUS departments, I built planning and organizing skills that served me well in real life jobs working for campaigns and university organizations. There are more examples, but I think my point is clear: i've gained real skills from planning this game.
Does that mean I am an expert? Not at all. Nor am I saying that eRep replaces real world training or experiences. But lets compare eRep to other games. By playing Call of Duty, do you actually learn how to be a kick-ass Special Forces soldier? Hardly. When you play Skyrim do you gain the basic skills necessary to slay a real-life dragon if the need arises? not a chance. Does Madden make you throw a tighter spiral? Will Forza make you a better driver? Probably not.
Unlike those games, you can gain from this game, at least, I feel I have.
Am I alone in feeling that way?
Hopefully that wasn't too painful. I'll be back with my usual schtick in the near future.
-The Artful Dodge
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Comments
All those years of Madden, wasted 🙁 Seriously though, good article. I've learned at least two computer skills playing this game that I wouldn't have learned otherwise.It's one of the few social media activities that actually improve your writing the more you play it.
Voted, good article.
Excellent article Art! I agree, I think there's plenty to gain from this game. It's a unique experience in itself It just depends how much you apply yourself to it -funnily real life also follows that rule.
Good article, But I have to disagree with you Haselrig,I love madden and still can't stop playing it 😛
Torrin, I was lamenting the fact that I still can't throw a good spiral after years of Madden practice 🙂
I agree with your views and hope for the future of this game, there is a unique quality here.
@ Haselrig - I have actually learned how to coach midget football (with great success) from manipulating madden playbooks. 😛
As a RL older person, I must agree that I have learned computer skills that I would have NEVER attained doing my everyday work and/or life....
I'm glad to have contributed to stimulating some deeper thinking!
I'll admit as well to developing further computer related skills due to necessities of the game. I'll also admit that having to deal with irate and difficult people on a regular basis has increased my ability to tolerate a diversity of personalities, and to differentiate almost immediately constructive commentary from angry vitriol for angers sake.
Good article, voted.
good article bro voted
Ha, JD. Those option routes never go quite as smoothly in RL as they do in Madden.