Post by Natmus on Dec 5, 2005 14:16:06 GMT
I got a message from Lyrypryl, where she still showed disappointment about the whole Federation/Morkin verbal skirmishes. No point going over that, but somewhere she asked me what kind of game we were playing, and I couldn't help telling her what kind of game I think this *really* is.
Feel free to read it as well, and comment on it.
You too. Everybody comment on this. Am I on to something here?
Feel free to read it as well, and comment on it.
I just read your message, and to some extent I understand you. However, the whole focus of the game has shifted for me since that message, or perhaps I understand more now than I did then.
The new angle I see IK from, is that it's not a 'war game' any longer, but most of all it's a social game. A game of human behaviour, if you will, or of human sociology rather.
In a way you can break the game into especially male dominance. A lot of male players try to become dominant by building armies and scraping lots of isles together. The most successfull become leaders of alliances where they wield great power, and in effect become alpha males. People like Freedom, Raul and TheEarl to name a few. They are dominat forces, and a lot of other males have chosen to just follow their lead. A few almost successfull males have become trusted lieutenants of the Alphas, they are in effect beta males. Someone like [deleted] could fit that bill, as he still is protected by TheEarl he is not quite an alpha male in this game.
But to cut a long analysis short, there is a hierachi in this game, with the strong dominating the weak. Weak players have the chance to join one of the big alliances as a common member, and thus accept a low place in the hierachi but gain relative security.
The alpha males show how dominant they are by protecting single players or whole alliances, or gathering alliances of 'personal armies'.
All very basic "The Naked Ape" stuff, and I guess that why some players become addicted to it. It allows tham a second kind of social interaction, probably one better than their normal real-life social standing.
But look at what's happening.
With the restrictions in new oceans and isles, the competition has become more fierce, and thus security has become more important, and this is why the mega alliances (Commonwealth, Firefox and LSD) has risen. Smaller players with colonies are increasingly at risk, unless they join one of the big groupings that offer protection.
It's again typical ape behaivour: when the resources get less, it's time to grow or die: Right now the first 20 people are looking for colony isles owned by small player not protected by some alpha male they don't want to challenge. Whenever the alpha males are dragged into a minor fight they usually have the power to destroy one of the fighters, or they can set the terms for peace and expect that these terms are followed.
As we in Morkin pretty much see ourselves as alpha males each and every one of us, we would never join a bigger group. In the F&S and R|M alliances we have found people roughly the same as us, and we can respect them, so we have pacts with them, and that's about all. But we are still a pretty egalitarian bunch inside the group, without any strict hierachy.
You as a female has probably seen the game from another side, as there are fewer females than males in this game. Sheldon Perry, pretending to be DarkLady, rather easily managed to get a lot of protectors by playing the flirtatious female, as a lot of alpha and beta males get extra prestige by having a harem of females as their special friends and proteges. You saw how much more interested fearless got when he learned you are female, back when you were attacked by quaff.
Very basic male behaviour, and I enjoy analysing IK from that angle these days.
Feel free to comment on this idea
The new angle I see IK from, is that it's not a 'war game' any longer, but most of all it's a social game. A game of human behaviour, if you will, or of human sociology rather.
In a way you can break the game into especially male dominance. A lot of male players try to become dominant by building armies and scraping lots of isles together. The most successfull become leaders of alliances where they wield great power, and in effect become alpha males. People like Freedom, Raul and TheEarl to name a few. They are dominat forces, and a lot of other males have chosen to just follow their lead. A few almost successfull males have become trusted lieutenants of the Alphas, they are in effect beta males. Someone like [deleted] could fit that bill, as he still is protected by TheEarl he is not quite an alpha male in this game.
But to cut a long analysis short, there is a hierachi in this game, with the strong dominating the weak. Weak players have the chance to join one of the big alliances as a common member, and thus accept a low place in the hierachi but gain relative security.
The alpha males show how dominant they are by protecting single players or whole alliances, or gathering alliances of 'personal armies'.
All very basic "The Naked Ape" stuff, and I guess that why some players become addicted to it. It allows tham a second kind of social interaction, probably one better than their normal real-life social standing.
But look at what's happening.
With the restrictions in new oceans and isles, the competition has become more fierce, and thus security has become more important, and this is why the mega alliances (Commonwealth, Firefox and LSD) has risen. Smaller players with colonies are increasingly at risk, unless they join one of the big groupings that offer protection.
It's again typical ape behaivour: when the resources get less, it's time to grow or die: Right now the first 20 people are looking for colony isles owned by small player not protected by some alpha male they don't want to challenge. Whenever the alpha males are dragged into a minor fight they usually have the power to destroy one of the fighters, or they can set the terms for peace and expect that these terms are followed.
As we in Morkin pretty much see ourselves as alpha males each and every one of us, we would never join a bigger group. In the F&S and R|M alliances we have found people roughly the same as us, and we can respect them, so we have pacts with them, and that's about all. But we are still a pretty egalitarian bunch inside the group, without any strict hierachy.
You as a female has probably seen the game from another side, as there are fewer females than males in this game. Sheldon Perry, pretending to be DarkLady, rather easily managed to get a lot of protectors by playing the flirtatious female, as a lot of alpha and beta males get extra prestige by having a harem of females as their special friends and proteges. You saw how much more interested fearless got when he learned you are female, back when you were attacked by quaff.
Very basic male behaviour, and I enjoy analysing IK from that angle these days.
Feel free to comment on this idea
You too. Everybody comment on this. Am I on to something here?