Freedom Part 1
August 15th, 2008 by CarradineI like Erepublik and the proof for that is that I’m still active in game, on forums and also on several chats that surrounds the game. Usually my interest for these kinds of things tends to disappear after a couple of months but Erepublik has something special that has kept me here for over 8 months now.
To me, Erepublik is not only a game but also a simulator and a world. People from different countries and opinions get together to play, socialise and maybe live out a fantasy or two.
I think the most common fantasy is the one of leading a party to victory and in the end also lead a whole nation, I started out this game with those ambitions and it took me to the top.
For three months I was president of Sweden and being in that position and taking part of the sheer amount of information and opinions which on a daily basis flows towards you via PM and forums, it gets your mind going, thinking in a different way.
Flashback Sweden (FBS) has always been my choice of party and in the beginning mostly because I along with others of the original members came from the forum Flashback, this has changed however. Today there aren’t many members in FBS who also are members on the formentioned forum and even fever are active there, so what makes people join FBS?
To me, and I’m sure many others, the freedom is the one thing that entices us, in FBS we don’t have any one ideology that everyone must follow and therefor we are free to as from a bag of candy pick out the good pieces and leave the rest in the bag. This is what I think make FBS popular today.
Ideologies on Erepublik is as many as they are diverse and this mirrors reality as expected but is it a sound path to take in a game like this?
As I mentioned earlier, FBS is a political potpurri of carefully selected theories and opinions that together work very well and gives the citizens the greatest freedom possible, an ideology does the opposite.
An ideology dictates how congressmen should vote, how a country should be and what the members of the party should think, act and say. An ideology only benefits the ones at the top who like kings can use he ”weight” of the ideology to further press down their opinions and orders on the people.
Members don’t decide anything in a ideology driven party since opinions are already written in stone by some one outside Erepublik and these opinions are in turn interpreted by the party leaders who then passes on the ”truth” to the members.
In short, most ideologies wants to hinder the citizens from taking part of the whole of Erepublik, one party wants to forbid entrepreneuring and another wants to forbid wars – it doesn’t matter which ideology you choose to follow, the results are always the same: You loose a part of the game, of the world!
Look forward to the next part.
Author: Carradine
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August 15th, 2008 at 21:53
Very interesting article, I agree with you that a lot of parties want you to stick to they’re ideology. But that also shows you one of the best sides of eRepublik, you can do what you want, there are enough political parties to join, and if there isn’t one you like, you just start your own party. As long as you got a good opinion about what your goal is, you’ll get people that will follow you.
That’s what makes eRepublik interesting for me, the 100s of different faces, people and opininons it has.
I’m looking forward to your second article.
August 15th, 2008 at 23:17
Ideology doesn’t dictate anything but direction of its membership. By definition people who agree with your party, or any other party are already part of that certain ideology; from there their own opinions mix with the current leadership.
I think it’s rather ridiculious to assume that FBS is the all neutral glowing orb party of greatness with no true ideology, because you can’t have that and still post party doctrines. Which you do.
You invaded 2 countries and originate from a super nationalistic real world Swedish party. Believing in a capitalistic free-market, being Anti-Socialist (as your article clearly indicates), open to warfare, reliance in the eRepublik built in political system of congressmen (which gives you absolute control over the nation), are all things which make you anything but neutral or free of ideology.
I think this article is fundamentally flawed and egotistical at best.
August 16th, 2008 at 15:37
HateBot: FBS originate from a Swedish Forum, no nationalistic party.
August 16th, 2008 at 15:38
I will answer critics in more detail in the next part but HateBot, seriously, where have you gotten the crazy idea that FBS is based on a super nationalistic real world Swedish Party?
There is no party named Flashback/FBS in Sweden, it’s just a normal forum on internet.
August 17th, 2008 at 21:26
“Look forward to the next part.” - awesome!