Interview with Thatcher

Day 1,503, 18:09 • Published in Slovenia Slovenia • by Ice Killa

A renown tank who made his name into the living legends with his kindness, politeness and wise thinking, he keeps stating that even though he is a tanker he doesn't differ from other players, he even says that anyone can do the clicking and it does not make him better or wiser from the rest. Real words with real basis, we can agree on that and who else would better explain that himself than Margaret H Thatcher. This time he was so kind that he joined me for an interview where he shared some of his common secrets that others do not know about him.

Could you tell us more about yourself?
I'm a 25 year old guy from England, and I work for an online company.

Could you explain the origin of your name, why you decided to pick it?
It's the name of a former British Prime Minister. I joined with a different name, but thought it'd be funny to see Margaret Thatcher fighting in UK battles. I requested my first account be deleted, stopped using it and started this one. I had no idea I'd still be here 2 years later and that I'd be confusing people with a female name. 🙂

Where did you find this game and what made you join it?
I heard about it on a totally unrelated Facebook group, where someone left a comment saying the USA was being conquered. I joined to see what was going on, and liked the idea of an online community game which you could help to lead.

You are known to express your opinion, do you often do that by expressing it on the battlefield?
I think some countries can tell what I feel about them by the amount of damage I do for or against them, yes.

People can often treat tanks in a negative way, what do you think of that?
Since I usually tank alongside much bigger hitters, I don't get much criticism from the enemy. The tanks I know don't care in the slightest what people think about them.

How does someone start spending real life money on this game via hitting in battles?
I think I initially bought gold in fairly small amounts to keep up with training. Then I would see a very close battle in an erepublik country I cared about, and found it impossible not to give everything I had to try to help. Once I had fought in a battle and personally made a difference, I wanted to do it again.

Can you describe how someone feels in the closing stages of a battle - from the perspective of a tank?
Well I can only speak for myself, and it's quite silly really. I am clicking the mouse like an idiot and frantically typing in "captchas", hoping our side is doing enough to win. At the very end of the battle I just keep fighting, but earlier on I try to fight smart, doing just enough to keep the battle open.

How do you think your battlefield activity can reflect on you getting your name heard in eRepublik?
People obviously see more of someone who fights more often, and you do get a lot of friend requests if you do lots of damage for a country with a large population, but it doesn't mean they'll listen. It doesn't take any talent to tank, so the opinions of big fighters are not better or more intelligent, even if they're possibly heard by more people.

Which part in this game attracts you the most?
I know people always answer "the community", but it's true. Pretending to fight in a game like this only means anything at all to me when I'm "fighting" for, or alongside people I like. Interacting with people from different countries is the best part for me: You can learn a lot from this virtual world about the real world!

Which country do you prefer the most, except your homeland of course?
France. I get on best with their players, especially my friends in the Chillax military unit, and I always enjoyed working with them when I was a part of UK government. Croatia is also growing in my affections- they tend to have a selfless way of playing the game which I admire and try to follow myself, giving everything to friends and asking for nothing in return.

Now that you look at it, do you think this game gave you mostly positive experiences?
Yes. I'm not one of the people who always criticises the game yet plays it every day. I enjoy it so I stay, and when I stop having a positive experience I will leave.

Have you ever actively participated in the epolitics and what is your opinion about it?
I was active for a while in UK domestic issues, but I'm not sure I was very political. I think I judged players on their merits and not on their party affiliation. When I think of politics I just think about bickering in external forums about things which do not affect the game, and that doesn't interest me at all.

Do you have anything else to say to the readers?
Be civil, shut up about RL issues, have fun.

That would be it, thanks!
My pleasure, Howly!

Many thanks to Thatcher for taking his time and answering to these questions that were set to him.

Best regards,
Ice Killa aka Howly