What really is Erepublik? A game? A Social Network? You Tell Me.
Brandy123
When I play Erepublik there is one thing that has always bothered me: is it a game? Well I looked on the wikipedia and it says it is a "free-to-massive multiplayer online game." But is it really a game? Because lets all be honest with ourselves the first time we all started playing this game we couldn't ignore the social features that almost exactly match the most popular social network: facebook. The news feed system is close to the same and the chat system is exactly the same. When they created Erepublik I wonder if they were trying to make a new type of social network or an in depth political simulation game. Ask yourself: If this game was single player, would you play it? Of course you wouldn't! It is an mmo that forces you to socialize to be entertained. A game involves a player reaching an objective to receive a reward not crucial to the player's survival so I guess Erepublik fits the definition as in the goal being to become whatever you want. What do you think Erepublik is, a social network? a game? I believe it is a mixture of both. I think it is a highly social browser based MMO but I don't see it having any real strategy involved.
I would like you to leave a comment on what you think Erepublik is. A game? A social network? A hybrid? or something else?
As a final note: This is just my opinion so please don't get upset by it and if any statement in the above article is incorrect that isn't part of my opinion please message me. I am a Noob I don't know any better 😃
Comments
I agree, it's more of a social network.
The chat system is only open to players under level 25 and is meant to be a mentoring tool, not a social tool.
The only people new players can see on chat are hand selected mentors; older players selected by eRep moderators to help new players with questions. So, while it might use the same coding as facebook in the chat, most players cannot access the chat and its function isn't social.
Ahhh yes I was wondering how that worked.
Otherwise, I agree with you. There's little strategy involved once you get past the basics of the game.
It will be interesting to watch your perspective change as you get more familiar with the "game".
Good article. Voted.
Welcome Brandy!
Let me start off by saying what drew me into this world that is eRepublik is the war module. The whole idea of creating weapons, fighting in far off lands, and progressing up the ranks appealed to me, coming from a RL military background. So I will say that it was the gaminess of this that drew me in.
Then, I realized that that was not as much fun as I thought. The game mechanics didn't make things easy for a loner or someone just looking for a casual game. However the reason I am still playing this "game" is the community. The people are what make this game fun to play. Learning from the oldfags who have been around the block a time or two, working side by side with peers for the betterment of an eNation, and passing on knowledge to newer players than me, that's why I'm still here.
conclusion: This is still very much a game in my eyes. But more than that, it's a community, working toward a goal, even if that goal is only something within the game.
Thats my perspective, I've voted and subbed, I look forward to seeing more from you as you "play" this more and see where you wind up. Definitely don't stop writing, we need more of that!