Apathy in America
Joe DaSmoe
Since I began playing this game, I have seen a lot. Wars have come and gone, Presidents have served, Congress has changed. Personally, I like this game, I dig the concept behind it. It seems to me though that interest is falling.
In the two months(nearly three) I've been a eUsa citizen, I have watched our country become more and more divided. We have several first term congressmen, who are about to learn the ropes of eRep politics. Many older players are leaving the game and our once united country is faltering.
Granted most are dead are inactive, but our population has dropped from over 9000 to a little over 8000. Our strength comes from our sheer numbers, and we need to work harder getting people involved and informed. My goal is to have a eCountry here in America that doesn't fit the bill of RL America. Most Americans in RL are ignorant of political and economic events. This should not be the case here.
I have read several articles, including one from our current President, that seem to be throwing in the towel. I hate to see older players go, as they are the most informed. The key to our success hangs on players like these, and I challenge you all to stay. Fight the good fight! Do not be discouraged by the lack of knowledge, address it with your knowledge!!
Congress has come up with a couple solutions to combat the issue of American Apathy, and I thank them for that. The Welcoming Committee and the Department of Education are the two major attempts at this. Problem is no one gives a shit, aside from people who are active on the forums.
We need action, we need a new plan, we need to bathe the unwashed masses. Communication is so vital to player activity, and it is lacking severely.
I challenge each member of Congress to pm their constituents. Let them know you are there. Sadly I fear most may not even care. Conversely, sometimes these efforts will be rewarded. I have introduced myself to a ton of people lately and you would be shocked at the number of them who haven't a clue as to what is going on here. Most don't even read the media, so we need a new approach to educate our citizens.
My hope is that the Welcoming Committee will evolve into the the first face new citizens see when they enter this seemingly empty world, but we have a long way to go. I talked via pm with a new citizen last night who didn't even know how to vote, what a pm was, or grasp the concept of shouts.
Leaders of America, let us unite to combat the growing tide of Apathy in America. The future of our nation is bleak, we must act.
Thanks for your time,
Joe DaSmoe,
voice of the common man
PS: I welcome any questions you have about this game and I will continue to help out those I can.
Comments
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The mainstone, I belive, is the absence of wars.
USA in RL is in many war. Here no.
good article Joe, Voted!
If you need war to remain interested in the game you are not a very evolved human. The monetary market and economic simulation in this game are superior to some others, and with some development and accuracy in reporting, no war should be necessary to hold someone's interest.
i concur. the florida representative should pm all constituents. lol..
yea thats quite a task, Fl gets a pass lol.
I would suggest post an article with the headline attn all floridians, or something to that affect.
good article. voted. hope people will hear you.
An a somewhat connected article:
http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/why-we-love-hate-admins-727617/1/20
Apathy is setting in because the game is not interesting enough - lack war is one thing but bugs make the other parts unplayable too. And badly thought-out concepts sometimes, like the takeovers, stemming from lack of citizenships, the role (or lack of) of the congress, and so on. It is not something a new world map (from admins) or an educational institue (from government) can solve. Some basics should be changed and put right.
Voted. And I agree with Quicksilver--it's tough to be "excited" about a lot of the higher-level dealings going on in eUSA when bugs and basic struggles make it tough for new players to focus on anything else. I don't feel much like working into the game when trivia bugs and gives me five wrong answers, and I can't really afford to when I'm struggling just to get my wellness up.
the key to defeating apathy amongst our citizens is communication, imho. PM people, help em out, network, etc.
I agree, Joe. The DoE has put out many good articles only for them to be lost and not voted up because no one cares. It's a shame, really. I wish I knew what to do.
I know Tiacha, its seems our efforts in the DoE and the WC fall on deaf ears a lot of the time.
Another excellent article Joe. Voted.
GMs that employ new players should take a more active roll in educating. It would benefit everyone. Of course, bugs in the game sure doesn't help in keeping interest up. Nice article Joe.
I personally don't think it is the fault of the DoE and WC to bring this light to the attention of new players. Unfortunately, the newer generation of eUSA citizens are the new generation in actual gamers in RL. They've been lead to expect explosions, character versatility, and options to cause an immediate influence on their surroundings with games these days.
No one wants to sit here and give the game a good, honest shot, imo. The lack of commitment is depressing..
Good article. The first thing I noticed when joining eRepublik is that the eUSA is not engaging enough. The game itself is attractive, but you have to hook new players with messages and incentives. Guides, tutorials, tips and tricks, events, prizes, Wellness programs, etc. Use HTML in the messages so they aren't a cluster**** of letters. Don't leave new citizens to their own devices, don't expect them to figure things out on their own. The bottom line is: they won't.
Excellent article, Joe. Voted. Now I'm off to PM my constituents. How can I see who's newest?
http://www.erepublik.com/en/rankings/citizens/country/660/24
check this out 9000 citizens hardly. 6000 with xp 3000 with 0.
of the 6000 I estimate there are 2000 to 3000 "active" americans.
I would even venture to say that only 100 or so are active everyday, just a guess though.
1000 active daily I should say
Maybe it's the new worlds next generation coming in
I have a handy PMing system. IF I would have won the election, I would use it all the time.
hmmmm- I am reverting to becoming a two clicker- this is my last post ever. = )=
@Joe DaSmoe: I would certainly think that you, myself, Benn, Justinious, Jewitt, Moishe, Publius, and PrincessMedyPi are all on that list.
@Joe: I would think that Benn, Justinious, you, myself, Publius, PrincessMedyPi, Jewitt, and Moishe are on that list. Other than that, I can't think of people I see actively participating every time I log on.
This is a very good article. Tremendous work Joe. Voted!!!
over 9000 lol
Congress has acted on the recent Fed hack: http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/listen-up-enation--727969/1/20#comments
I have to agree with Blue Holt. The new generation is expecting a game like WoW, with heros and magic and action. Its hard for them to get excited when you can only work and train once a day.
I think this has been expounded on before...but it's tough for new players to get involved in the higher levels of the game.
I'm relatively new here >60 days and I've been remotely connected to some of the events that have happened in the country. Why not more so? Because it's tough for new players to establish themselves or to know how anything works around here. Most have no idea what it takes to become a politician or fight in war (I haven't done either yet--too busy trying to build up some funds and my wellness--another common issue).
Additionally, as a new player, it's hard to even figure out what's going on in the political landscape of the game, brewing apathy early on.
people are apathetic because elections do not offer them a real choice! candidates are just two sides of the same scam libertarian coin
I don't care about apathy. :v
Wait wait wait.
Our congress. Apathetic?
LOL
Hence the need for the ACU!