eRepublick: A non zero-sum game
Alphabethis
A non zero-sum game
The theory is here :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-sum_game
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonzero:_The_Logic_of_Human_Destiny
We have witnessed too many times how being defeated in this game has
made players leave the game. Whether it's a political humiliation (
political take over, election, bashing in the media or comments), or a
military defeat (wipe, collapse, robbed medal, 'weakness'), the result
is the same: a huge rise in the unhappiness of some players that is
not matched by a huge rise in the happiness of the winners. So, some
players feel really depressed by a defeat, whilst the winners are just
mildly happy by it. This is a kind of psychological non zero game
that leads, after many iterations, to the collapse of the game,
because, the losers cannot bear it ( even if these losers were winners
some times ).
Of course, some other factors concur on the size of the population,
such as facbook ads, casual new players, returning players ( once the
wounds have been healed), but the tred is clear: collapse.
In such matter of things, it's not advisable to long term investment
in the game: for eRepublik labs, or for players. Unless the game
mechanics change and becomes more balanced.
Comments
Good read! 🙂
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I agree, we can rise together!
In the wiki no one said a non-zero sum game should collapse, by the way.
intelligent remark.
It says unstable games
There are many types of imbalance in the game, between new players and old players, free players and costumer players, strong alliances and weak alliances. All imbalances force some players into inferior roles compared to the others, the new or free players can never win against strong players or against players with packs, the countries that belong to the weaker alliance always lose against the countries that belong to the stonger alliance. Yet people are different, not everybody leaves the game just because our possibilities are more limited than that of other's. I think the general boredom and that we can't expect anything new is what makes people leave.
But if you read what you have written you acknowledge winner vs loser, winner has fun, loser bores to edeath... and that happens all the time.