Lord of the Flies and eRepublik

Day 1,122, 21:30 • Published in Bolivia Bolivia • by Arjay Phoenician
PREFACE & TL😉R ALERT: I’ve been meaning to write this article for a long time. After dealing with the Argentine PTO group, the Pindonga (translates into English as “prostitute”), for the last several weeks, I’m reminded of the concept; after reading several articles by my friends MaryamQ and mittekemuis about in-game morality, perhaps now I have an audience for discussing this argument, where I compare eRepublik to a notable piece of literature.



I’ve been a part of this world for about a year and a half, and the best real-world parallel I’ve found to it is William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. In terms of game psychology and morality, it seems about as perfect an analogy to life in eRepublik as I’ve found in history, literature, and pop culture.

Quick synopsis for those who haven’t (or won’t, if they’re honest with themselves) read the novel, a group of boys are marooned on an island to fend for themselves. They start out following Ralph, who determines they must follow the rules of civilization if they’re going to survive. Jack, however, enjoys the freedom of life without rules, and one by one, he is able to seduce the other boys into a more tribal lifestyle. As Ralph’s “tribe” clings to the old order, Jack’s tribe becomes more and more aggressive, slaying Simon who they mistake for “the beast”, raiding from Ralph’s group, even killing Ralph’s most loyal friend, Piggy. Ralph becomes more isolated, Jack’s tribe gains momentum, and by the end of the novel, Ralph is alone and running for his life as the whole rest of the boys hunt him down and attempt to kill him.

The novel is full of powerful symbolism and allegories that you’ve simply got to read for yourself. For me, the novel is a morality piece, with two heroes fighting for the souls of the rest of the group. Ralph is the champion of social order, acting within a code of ethics, and trying to establish discipline among the boys, while Jack represents unbridled freedom, seeking to establish a new order not held together by the restraints of civilized convention. With no police to enforce law, no parents to enforce rules, or for that matter, no god to enforce morality, the concept of right and wrong changes, and without penalties for their actions, Jack and the boys get away with more and more heinous acts that would be described as criminal or even evil in the civilized world. It becomes harder and harder for Ralph’s clan to stick together, seeing how Jack’s boys can act with greater freedom and can get away with what they do without consequence, including murder without punishment.



That brings us to the world of eRepublik, a world of few laws, laws which are barely enforced by the admins, and when enforced, the penalties are not severe enough to deter what is deemed criminal action. The stronger nations transgress against the small and the struggling for their own gain, even if that gain is the “lulz”. Concepts like chivalry, honor, and dignity are endangered and borderline extinct. Those whose actions are ruled by their conscience instead of game mechanics are marginalized, scorned, discouraged, and in most cases, they’re left with the option of either capitulating to the dishonor on one hand, or quitting in disgust on the other. Just as Jack’s supporters would deride and mock Piggy and Ralph for trying to maintain civilized order on the island, those who speak up about bringing honor and ethics into the game are shouted down by trolls.



I’ve met a whole lot of Jack’s in my e-life, players who buy into the law-of-the-jungle mentality, being part of a groupthink that considers morality a concept that should be left in the real world and not brought in here, acting for the benefit of a group without empathy for their target, making fun of those who play this game with a set of core principles. They do what their generals, their presidents, their superalliances tell them to do, without waver, but with a cocky smile. They become powerful in that they hide behind the aggression of their leaders, never questioning their orders, acting on the impulse of those above them, and believing what is spoonfed to them by the same leaders who order them to do these dastardly deeds.

I’ve met a solid handful, not many, but a good amount of Ralph’s in my day, and I consider myself one of them. They’re people who do have good and kind hearts. To them, just because you CAN do a thing, it does not necessarily follow that you MUST do that thing. Game mechanics are a tool, not a philosophy, and concerning a given issue, the question they raise is not “How will this be accomplished,” but rather, “Why do we wish to accomplish this?”

I consider Bolivia for a moment. In my article from this morning I talked about how anti-PTO candidates got all of NINE VOTES. That’s nine Ralph’s, standing up to the Pindonga, the Jack’s, the ones who are stealing from the treasury and feel they have the right to because no one can stop them. Those who do speak up against the Pindonga are either mocked into silence (Ernesto_Guevara), mocked into leaving (talomedina), or banned by the pull of an admin’s string (Arturo Espinoza). For every Ralph they’re successful in shutting up or making go away, they feel a small victory, one less moralist trying to do the right thing, one less citizen standing up to their thieving and trolling.

Once upon a time, I tried to gather many of these Ralph’s and create something different, the World-Tribe. While many of us still consider ourselves members of the Tribe, it failed because, at the end of the day, no matter how we clung to our principles, something always came up that made those principles inconvenient. The best example I can cite is my old friend Reiji Mitsurugi, a member of the Tribe, and the author of the Righteous Nation Philosophy, something I encourage you to read about on Wiki. For a time, Japan had the philosophy written into its Constitution as a national code of ethics; when the current regime of trolls took over Japan six months ago and discarded the philosophy, Reiji chose to follow the interests of his government instead of abiding by the principles he himself penned. I still consider myself a spiritual member of the Righteous Nation, because the words still mean something to me, something noble and vibrant, regardless of Japan’s adherence to it or even Reiji’s rejection of it.

Reiji would have been one of those boys who followed Ralph in the beginning, but when the pressures Jack’s boys placed on him became too much, he switched sides. I was in South Korea when Japan abandoned the Righteous Nation Philosophy and attacked us, and it broke my heart to see Reiji, one of their ministers, fight on their behalf and give up on the masterpiece he wrote.

The novel ends with Ralph being chased by the whole rest of the boys, collapsing on the beach, and just before the boys can brutally kill him, a naval officer shows up to end the violent chaos. Unfortunately for the Ralph’s in this game, there will be no officer at the end to save them and re-establish the moral order. We’re on our own this game, having to face the PTO groups, the superalliance sycophants, the nationalistic trolls, the soulless militants riding their relentless machines of war, without much relief.

Just know, if you do know Lord of the Flies, if you do see this game as I do, and you do see yourself as Ralph, being hounded by the trolls that seek either your silence or your resignation for your willingness to stand up for what you believe to be right, you’re not alone. There aren’t a lot of us here, but we are here, it’s a matter of looking for us. I’ve found several Ralph’s here, and we fight the honorable fights and confide in one another, no matter what is slung upon us. Maybe we can’t save the world from its own shortcomings, but we can save each other.