I’ve recently been intrigued by a browser-based game–eRepublik.

Built by some guys in Romania using what looks like Pylons, it’s a rather simple game where you play as a citizen of a state, doing things that you would normally do in real-life such as buying food, working and training in the army (perhaps the last is a little less normal). Players are constrained by the number of things they can do per day, which for a newbie like me means the extent of gameplay consists of 1 minute clicking on the “Work” and “Train” buttons.

The entire economy is based off the amount of work players put in to produce goods, which are in turn bought by players using the money they earn from working. I hear that at higher levels the game involves a virtual version of the world bank.

Despite the ostensibly simple gameplay, there are of course players who take it quite seriously. Consider the current Dictator of eChina, Mimihitam.

Mimihitam

Her efforts to rally her citizens to maintain political stability are sadly thwarted by the game’s implicit use of democratic rule as the only administrative option, such that she has no real dictatorial powers, and the suspicion that she is a puppet for eIranians, ePakistanis and eKoreans. Also, it’s difficult to take seriously a girl in golden cosmic armour for good political policy.

eRepublik maintains the geography of the real world, though players can play where-ever they like. Still, there is the acknowledgement that only people who in Real Life hail from from a particular country could possibly act in the interests of the game-version of said country. Poor Mimihitam (who as far as I can tell is from the Phillipines) has suggested the recruitment of new RL (Real Life) Chinese players, though I’m almost certain any large influx will oust her from her position.

In short, eRepublik is scarily close to real life, except that the politics is played out by teenagers in golden armour rather than older men in suits. I’m reminded of the squabbling and petty power plays at work and in the various organisations I’ve belonged to over the years, and it puzzles me why anyone plays this stupid game.

I’m pretty happy just clicking “Work” and “Train” once every day. Maybe one day I’ll buy a house.

Oh, and eSingapore is as boring as RL Singapore.