The Europeian Standard, An Interview with Griffin

[The Europeian Standard]

The Europeian Standard is the International Paper formed by Europeia in June 2015. The goal of this paper is to present world events from an Independent standpoint, while appealing to a wide audience with a plethora of writings from international authors.

If you would like to join the staff of the Europeian Standard, telegram The Europeian Standard with your name and writing preference.

Issues
Issue I: June 17th, 2015
Issue II: July 10th, 2015
Issue III: August 7th, 2015
Issue IV: June 13th, 2016

Articles
RaiderCon, RaiderVision, and Other Things 'Raider': A Sit-Down with Ever-Wandering Souls (June 9th, 2017)
13 Years of Coups: An Interview with Griffin (August 3rd, 2017)

EBC Radio
Interview with King and Crown Princess of Albion
Skeptic or Believer: Gameplay Edition

NOTE: The Europeian Standard does not reflect the policy or viewpoints of the Europeian goverment.

[The Europeian Standard]

Issue I: June 17th, 2015

Editor's Note
Note | Kraketopia, Co Editor-in-Chief

Welcome to the first edition of the Europeian Standard. The goal of this paper is to present world events from an Independent standpoint, while appealing to a wide audience. We won't insult the reader's intelligence and pretend that this is a completely unbiased, objective news source. We will however, strive to report events fairly, provide insightful analysis, and contribute quality media content to the NationStates community at large. Our main goal is to provide material for thoughtful discussion and contemplation. We will also strive to publish material from a wide array of authors. This paper is Europeian, but does not represent the Europeian government's official policy on any issue. Rather it will take on a much more international scope, and we plan to have a significant amount of its content developed outside of Europeia, to accurately reflect different views on Independence and political events.

We hope the reader will find the following content informative, insightful, and interesting. Thank you for reading, and be sure to join the discussion below!

Signed,

Co-Editor-in-Chief

Women in NationStates Pt. 1
Essay | Xoriet, Foreign Writer

In December I wrote an essay on the presence of women in Military Gameplay. It covered a number of topics, but the overall point was to write about exactly that subject - military Gameplay. I asked a number of women about their opinions on the subject in accordance to the topic at hand. The focus was, of course, not political so much as relative to participation in military Gameplay. The reason this introduction is relevant to the subject is because I wanted to write something which covers a lot of the same points here. But this time my focus is political, not military. I have once again asked a number of players about their input. This time I interviewed not only women, but men. After all, a full-sized analysis on the matter needs to be as well-rounded as possible. And so I have written another essay on the subject of women in NS.

There are several points I wish to touch on once again that I have covered in my previous essay for the World Fair and a recent article. This time, however, coverage of the political NSGP world is the priority. Despite having written against the idea of women achieving their places due to their gender a few times, I continue to see a continuous spread of the good old "She is there because she is a girl" mindset in places where it really isn't merited. Always stated quietly and in confidence or company which agrees, because there are many who are not fond of the accusation and will raise issues. I suppose at this point this issue is basically going to become something I write against because I wish to combat blind generalizations and stereotypical allegations.

NationStates is still a game with that array of individuals who cannot be boxed up one way or another. The distinctiveness of those individuals is indubitable. In the game there exists a significant number of male players and a much smaller female population. This is a typical internet ratio, and is nothing particularly extraordinary. This usually does not affect the balance of power in the game. Recently there were four out of nine GCR delegates who were female. Rare as of recently, and a sign that there is no difference in capability between males and females as far as a region is concerned. What is, unfortunately, also not extraordinary is the alleged reputation of the women who enter the political sphere. No-one begins the game with a negative perception. It is simply something that is accumulated or fabricated over time. Whether or not it is true about a certain player is not a matter of someone's interpretation, but of their own admission. There have been cases of women using their gender "advantage" to climb ladders politically, this is an undeniable fact if you look at history - ignoring the many cases of men pretending to be women to that exact intent. Which, annoyingly, colors many things today. But does that apply to everyone?

Astarial of Equilism and The North Pacific provided a particularly enlightening commentary on that very subject. "I don't know of anyone who has risen to power initially based on nothing but flirting," she noted. Flirting is, I have personally noticed, what has become the most commonly utilized allegation for female figures in power in NationStates. Astarial has also been the recipient of accusations of reaching her current position based on the backs of others - but only from outside of the regions she is in. How she chooses to handle accusations leveled by players who do not even work with her in the region is a good example for all women. "I choose not to respond to claims like that, because I know my work for my regions stands by itself," she asserted. "I don't believe people in either one are stupid enough to fall for nonsense like that." She also had a cutting observation on whom would be the one spreading rumors about not truly earning her place in the game. "Anybody with an axe to grind, anybody who wants to belittle a woman's standing and influence... and sometimes, related to both of those, anybody who feels sexually slighted by that woman. When someone has an unhealthy sexual obsession with you, in their eyes, everything you do is sexual, and everyone else must see you the same way."

Kraketopia of Europeia had something similar to say on the subject "Besides annoyance, do these frequent requests create a disadvantage or an advantage? I would say it depends on the person. If someone wants to climb quickly at any cost, responding positively to these requests may grant short term boons, but in the long term probably erode the respect the person receives from many individuals. If someone doesn't want to rise this way, I imagine it would become a significant annoyance. I really think this flutter of indecent proposals is the only thing that separates men from women in this game however. If a woman can keep herself above that sort of thing (that doesn't mean not roleplaying marriage, but waiting until she finds someone she actually wants to RP with) she should have relatively the same advantages as a male player. In RL politics, one sees a media which portrays women significantly differently than men, and there are certainly other advantages and disadvantages at work, but I really don't see that type of bias in NS."

Minineenee, a member of the perpetually infamous Empire, now a valued citizen of The East Pacific, had another point on the issue as well. "The idea comes up because it's been used. It has happened, so the idea that it continues or happens more often is there." Also, though, some players have trouble dealing with the idea of a rise to power based purely on skill or talent. It's easier to see a manipulative chick than one who is actually better than you." She also noted that, "No one has made me feel that I am only where I am because of their support. However, others have implied that they figure I'm the face of things, and the guys are doing the work. Like The Empire, for example. And yes, people have been more forgiving of me. Again, The Empire. Biyah was ripped apart over that. I got an "Oh, Nee," and was more or less forgiven, if not given congrats. I also got away with using memes to summarize my explanation of why it happened. I don't think any of the guys could have pulled that off."

Mousebumples, a veteran of the General Assembly, had a different view which was particularly intriguing. "I can't speak to whether or not there is "merit" in these claims. I can see how - hypothetically - a woman could leverage her feminine attributes in a game that is so dominated by male players. However, I don't think there is merit to these claims in "most cases," but as I haven't been involved in any (to my knowledge), I don't feel comfortable making broad, definitive statements. To my knowledge, they have never been applied to me. I'm more likely to be accused of "getting where I have in the GA/NS modding because of my friendship with Antarctic Oasis" than with anything regarding my gender." She also had something rather stimulating to question. "One question I'd have - and that I don't have an answer to - is whether or not there are common "personality differences," of a sort, between the average male NS player and the average female NS player. However, is there something within me that's more nurturing or whatever that's in some way due to my gender? If so, then I suppose I may have been more successful than I would have otherwise due to that, if that makes sense." This observation certainly has merit, as an instinct to behave in a maternal manner as opposed to a rigid utilitarian management is easily better received at times. There is a quality about such treatment which reaches out to those who desire some level of comfort in a game which has frequently descended to backstabbing and aggressively pushing for promotion and self-advantage.

There are many things that can explain why a mindset that credibility is a myth as long as gender is an issue exists in the game. Sexual fixation is certainly one such motive for rumors. So is jealousy, jealousy of the fact that a woman replaced a man for a position, and perhaps received more praise. Unibot, present Delegate of The Rejected Realms and widely known political and participating defender, had an insightful observation on that matter. "I've certainly seen such comments made - it's as old as NPO/PRL's criticism of Pope Hope - I suspect the effect is it downplays the talent and achievements of female players; it might make them question their own success, while it may also stain their reputation. Whereas nobody ever says a successful male player got to where he is because he is male - success for female players can often be attributed to their gender or sexuality. It also has the wider effect of undermining the reception and perception of their entire organisation - because for example, ADN might be seen as a 'fan club' or such, and the autonomy of its lower ranks are put into question. There the propagandist and the sexist, for that matter, make you wonder if those grunts in the ADN were really defenders because they wanted to help natives, or if they were simply defenders to get into their commanding officer's pants."

Of course, it is not a matter of there never being a basis for a claim. Certainly on occasions there are petty reasons such as sexual fixation, jealousy, inability to believe that a political enemy would be able to reach a seat fairly, and even a spiteful lie created to hurt someone you have a personal issue with. It is an easy lie, something quite easy to propagate, and if someone has enough enemies, easy to catch on. Frattastan, former Delegate of The Rejected Realms and a major defender, when asked, described this mindset as "A subconscious association (in that people don't believe they support them) with a certain set of stereotypes." Because largely, this is a set of stereotypes imported from elsewhere, further incorporated in game. He also remarked that this is not a one-sided stereotype, which is true.

"In the past, I have felt gender bias in my treatment in the game. In more recent times, less so. I can't be certain if that bias is actually lessening or if I am just less ambitious and therefore feel less frustration over gender bias. There is an expectation that females are less stable as leaders. In "ancient" NS times, females were not considered trustworthy (or were considered to be males pretending to be females) and were often relegated to spycraft positions. Modern NS does not employ espionage the way it used to and I think that has helped dispel the mistrust. Why does gender bias exist in the game? Because it exists in Real LifeTM. Why does it exist at all? That is far too complex to attempt in this setting," said Darkesia, current Delegate of The West Pacific. "I have had the opportunity to approach the game from many different "characters" and I can tell you with certainty there is a dramatic difference in the way players approach female players. Some things are better and some worse."

"Without going into the deepest possible arguments, I'd say that particular mindset has translated into the digital realm of the community we played as a product of the standard occidental men-centric culture that most of our western societies suffer off. As members of such cultures and societies, we have translated the best and the worst of it into them," said Elegarth, Magister of The East Pacific and influential member of The West Pacific. "People who, in their daily lives, show tendencies towards gender equality will be more likely to portray those tendencies into their virtual personas, and hence behave and act in a gender-correct manner that does not judges player's capacities or intentions on gender."

Many allegations used to discredit others have been made in real life before, and have likewise been drawn into the game, whether consciously or not. Such an answer implies that gender may also be used to discredit an entire organization or region. Mousebumples also stated that "There are some people (of both genders) that have a "cult of personality," so to speak, that perhaps get positions over others that may be more qualified because of their charisma." This right here can demonstrate that there are infinite ways to discredit the ability of a player based on friends and gender. Raven, Minister of Foreign Affairs in The North Pacific and a former Pharaoh of Osiris, observed in a familiar manner. "I've found that outside of the harassment I touched upon earlier that most of the negative reputation and rumours come from same-gender (either fake or real) rivals hoping to capitalise upon any fall in their standing. Generally, female players will have at least a small group of people surrounding them as a buffer at any one time, in an almost pack mentality which I've not explored very much out of my own concerns and knowledge for what it can do for the judgement of those involved (hint: it impedes it, very Neanderthal in how it works)."

Ambroscus Koth had something further to contribute there as well. "Yes, it happens, but men do it too. Absolutely it happens. Do ALL women do that? Absolutely not. The use of seduction and to a lesser degree...what's the word I'm looking for...overniceness? It is a tactic utilized by all parties to build OOC relationships for political gain. What I'm getting at is that there totally is a legitimate basis for the belief that women get to high places via illicit means. I also think that it's not only silly to paint every female with that brush, it's also dangerous. We'll all be better Gameplayers when we learn to judge others by their actions when they happen instead of expecting the worst from people. That sort of belief will lead to ostracizing women for shit they never did, and it's easier to ostracize women in NS because there's comparatively so few."

Some players find that they genuinely doubt that someone has used legitimate means, and may have evidence. Others may have worked with them before and drew conclusions based on that. And yet more will believe that they must be right, for whatever reason, and thus it is okay to spread claims that the woman did not use her own skills to achieve her current status. In this case, we have some debate that not all women really do use their genuine talents to achieve things. "I have seen female players who I don't believe were particularly skilled flirt with male players who were particularly skilled, and then end up with a lot of power," Minineenee did note as well. "And, occasionally, there is partial merit. A very talented female may have a fascinated male base, but that doesn't make her a figurehead. She can hold all the power and just take advantage of the fact they will remain loyal, for whatever reason." Erastide of The North Pacific had a comparable viewpoint when asked where the mindset originates. "Partially from what women choose to post, sadly. We want the cutest pictures when we show ourselves and some seem to focus on being really feminine in their interactions in NS. There's also the idea that a good portion of the NS population is teenagers (assuming boys), and their perception of women is teenage girls, so that colors how they see things." There are cases of the oldest players and a scattering of those in all generations still holding that same view as well, as past interviews have attributed the success of certain women who obtained power solely to their ability to use their gender to their best advantage.

Albion on EBC Radio: A New Foreign Strategy
Radio | Calvin Coolidge, Co Editor-in-Chief

On June 7, Vice-President of Europeia Calvin Coolidge sat down with King Charles Cerebella and Crown Princess MagentaFairy of Albion to discuss recent changes in the latter region in an audio interview. During the course of the thirty-minute piece, we learn about Albion's new ideology, its retreat from the more traditional R/D gameplay field, and its advance into non-NationStates areas in its search to strengthen regional identity in a post-UIAF world.

Click the image above to be taken to the interview.

[The Agnostic Collective]

The Europeian Standard is the International Paper formed by Europeia in July 2015.

Time travel eh?

[Italios]

The Europeian Standard is the International Paper formed by Europeia in July 2015.

Time travel eh?

Europeia is cool that way.

[Zenya]

Love this. A+, Euro.

[Tyeodora Snez Montresor]

A job well done and a wonderful début article indeed.

[Mousebumples]

Glad to see Part One of the interview Xoriet did with me (and obviously a decent number of other NS players) be published. Well written work, Xor, and I look forward to reading Part 2!

[WolfMac]

Very nice article, Xoriet. Good luck to Europeia with this endeavor -- it's already better than The Unibot Times.

[Bhang Bhang Duc]

Thoroughly enjoyed your article, Xoriet; well written and thoughtful.

Good luck to Europeia with this.

[Elegarth]

Xoriet mentioned me in an article <3 <3 <3

[Darkesia]

Well done!

[Ainocra]

very insightful article

[Kaboomlandia]

What, are we trying to give TRT a run for its money?

Great job, Euro. Maybe in future I'll chip in on working for this.

[Benevolent Thomas]

What, are we trying to give TRT a run for its money?

Great job, Euro. Maybe in future I'll chip in on working for this.

They're trying to start a quality paper

[Ambroscus Koth]

What, are we trying to give TRT a run for its money?

Great job, Euro. Maybe in future I'll chip in on working for this.

They're trying to start a quality paper

Not a bad way to kick it off, if I do say so myself. Xoriet's article was very well-spoken and she presented a wide array of opinions on the topic. Good shit.

[Guy]

I liked the article. It presents a series of opinions from people who doubtlessly have a lot of experience, between them and individually, on this matter. Many of the opinions complement each other, but others are very much in tension with one another. I think reading it the impression I got was "It's bloody complicated", which given the subject matter probably isn't very surprising. I'm looking forward to seeing where this will go with part 2.

[Riftey]

I'm looking forward to seeing where this will go with part 2.

Part 2 is 100 times better. Just saying.

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Not a bad way to kick it off, if I do say so myself. Xoriet's article was very well-spoken and she presented a wide array of opinions on the topic. Good shit.

Normally I'd make an original comment, but Koth pretty much said what I had to say.

I was a bit shocked by the relative size of the second bit until I realized it was a link

Edit: volume drops a ton around 10 mins in FYI.

[Solorni]

This was really awesome

[Starstream Tribe]

Thanks for all the well wishes, rest assured the writing staff is hard at work on the second issue

[The Europeian Standard]

Issue II: July 10th, 2015

Women in NationStates pt.2
Essay | Xoriet, Foreign Writer

In relation to that tinted glass, we have the perspective of Rifty, founder of Sanctum, as a prime example of the belief that this is an issue. "Is there any opinion to take other than that they [women] are favored? Looking at this as an issue within individual communities is something that is a must - rather than that of a greater Gameplay problem. Women find it much easier (and the exact reason I pretend to be a woman when trying to do things in regions) to get ahead in Individual Communities which then leads to larger support in greater Gameplay. In my personal experience of just watching women lead and the like you can obviously see a liking to them over makes for the sheer reason some men think with their "head" rather than their head." This correlates with both Astarial's comment on a sexual fixation and with that of Mousebumples on the gender perception of many younger players seeing all women in a certain light. "I sure have met my fair share of men on this site who do that," continued Rifty. "The worst bit is a fair few of these men are actually rather influential and important. Now some women play off this ability and some others don't - however it always does exist with or without an effort from said woman. I'd be lying to say that I myself didn't have bias when it came to giving particular women a bit of leeway with their actions down to the fact I found them attractive. I'm sure other men do this too - I wouldn't say all but certainly there would be a few active Gameplayers and a fair portion of the more quiet bunch."

Raven's opinions of that are, while not the same, somewhat analogous. They do, however, acknowledge that this view is harmful and destructive, and leads to harassment. "I would argue that there is some truth to that belief as overall, there are less female players in NationStates and it can be noticeable in some communities. Thus this does give new female players the equivalent of the "new toy" effect when they do appear and become public. I believe that from the very start it sets an uneven playing field and allows these female players to automatically gain support and attention from what essentially become groupies to them, regardless of their personality/behaviour/attitude. I've never heard of a female player being ostracised in any form, and have nearly always come across someone willing to defend them to the metaphorical death."

Elegarth also had an observation which likewise correlates with Rifty, Raven, and Mousebumples. "What I also think, though, is that men are statistically easier to be manipulated or charmed of by others at certain ages than women are, mainly because of how they usually have less developed emotional intelligence than women do, what would theoretically allow women to act more emotionally mature, and hence evaluate the information they are provided with in a more complete manner, and hence reduce the chance to be manipulated/charmed/used."

"My working experience with women in NationStates has been a positive one," remarked Yy4u of The West Pacific. "Women often tend to look outside the box far more than most men do. The 'mindset' that fuels this negative reputation and rumors thing is often the result of immaturity and pride. To me, this has absolutely no place in this game, even IC, and detracts from gameplay. It is those players who are capable of discipline, that find a long and productive gameplay here. While it is not necessary for gameplay that genders be revealed/acknowledged, it is often a matter of courtesy that helps dialogue maintain a 'proper' and mature structure and not childish. Older (age) players were brought up to be gentlemanly towards those of the fairer sex. I, myself, have actually enjoyed Darkesia as delegate here in TWP as she has brought a new 'atmosphere' here and has demonstrated far more tolerance towards players than a male would have(there are exceptions of course), but these attitudes are tempered with more experience in gameplay."

Zenya, President of The Communist Bloc, provided her own theory on the matter. "Why the mindset exists, I'd have to assume some people tend to stereotype and so if a few key women are powerful, it suddenly becomes that women in general are successful, and because they've removed all individuality and the only thing in common is biology it now is that they're successful because they're simply women." Zenya has certainly received the criticisms in the past, something she was very clear on. She responded with "There are two reasons to perpetuate those rumours: One might do so as part of playing the game. They may wish to destabilize a particular power base. In those cases, the player(s) spreading the rumour does not actually believe what they are saying is true and they are merely using the most efficient weapon at their disposal to gain political power. The other reason is that they truly believe female players to be less capable. In the first case, responding to the claims is feeding in to the power play and in the second case, responses fall on deaf ears."

Another player who has received comparable criticisms is Rach, Queen of Balder. Bran Triune gave his opinion on the accuracy of those claims. "I disagree with those claims. Although it is true that Rach has many supporters, she has strength of her own. She is extremely smart, and dedicated to Balder. Her ideas, and the debates that spring from them, shape Balder's legal and cultural environment." She has commented on her reception in other regions as part of the trap of culture. It was, she had said, a block as to how far a woman may actually be able to go before becoming a fixture in that capacity. Triune further added that "Although I wasn't around during Balder's early years, from what I've gathered, Rach is largely responsible for Balder, having put in an incredible amount of time into fostering activity, creating a peaceful, drama-free environment, and reaching out to the citizens. I personally only really got involved in Gameplay after chatting with her via TGs on occasion, eventually being convinced to check out the forum. I'm not sure how Rach appears to the rest of NS, since I'm only now returning from a long break from GP, but she is truly the heart of Balder."

We also have one of the more prominent issues: Harassment. Raven provided an analysis similar to Astarial's, albeit from a different gender perspective. "That attention can also be extremely harmful. It is the downside of getting a lot of attention, and none of it is good: harassment is a very serious issue for female players, because they are in such a minority (albeit a very visible one). Off the top of my head I can think of perhaps four separate cases where I have been informed, or seen evidence of some form of harassment against female players, either by gender-specific abuse (not counting multiple instances), or an example where in one case, a male player has referred to a female partner as "his", and told multiple people they were together (they weren't) in an attempt to put pressure on what he saw was competition from other people (it wasn't) and on the female player herself so she would feel obligated to do what he wanted. That is not the least of it however; there are male players who have displayed alarming tendencies to attempt to manipulate and control female players, using similar fear and force tactics that you'd expect in real life, thankfully, there was no physical impact, but there was, to the people in question who experienced this, a severe neurological affect where the constant comments and horrible behaviour had started to cause them to question themselves, their judgement and "am I a nice person?"."

Escade, former Delegate of The South Pacific, also had observations on this matter. "I have been told that I became delegate of TSP simply because I had no clue about politics and people thought I was "safe" in that regards and easily manipulatable. In fact several people, during my delegacy, accused me of being manipulated by others. And some players did try to manipulate me but I would like to think I was above it and actually do think that it backfired in most cases. As a female I do believe in having some intuitive ability to differentiate between the genuine and the false whether in tone or actions. It can be stressful to be told that your thoughts aren't your own but are the result of manipulation. The biggest indicator being the constant accusation of being every other female player in the game from A to Z. The constant drama around that and the constant, "Are you X, Y, Z and are you going to coup?" I think in RL I've never faced distrust and paranoia, in fact quite the opposite so it has been very difficult to deal with it or even understand it. I often think of inviting friends to this game but worry about how they'll be treated and if they'll go through the same thing. And I'm almost wary to say that I and many people I know are sensitive to such attacks because we don't have the negative experiences that would help us build some immunity to it or even comprehend it so it's a difficult thing to navigate around or deal with. It seems like there are two options which are run away which I did a few times already or stay and I don't know? I'm afraid of becoming like the thing that has actually caused me tears and emotional distress; that would be the worst possibility. I'm not sure why other players feel that way to be honest. From what I know of TSP history the recent internal coup was from a male player and most of the things that may be considered "negative" such as couping are done by the male player base."

"With one caveat - that it depends on the region or organization and the culture that has been created within said region or organization --, I believe that the allegation of new women being favored above new men in Gameplay is largely unfounded. The women I've worked with -- and I've appointed two to the Directorate (TEP's cabinet) - have been hard-working, stellar, and reliable members of TEP's community. The women I've worked with, or observed in Gameplay, have worked for the positions they hold and deserve them." Ramaeus, Delegate of The East Pacific, had largely unbiased opinions as to the bias itself. "While I haven't observed any undue hostility, I would have to imagine that such hostility exists. But everyone is different - they have different personalities, beliefs, ideas, etc. Gender plays a part, yes, but not a large part. There are some men and women who are enjoyable to work with, and some who aren't. It has more to do with personality than anything else."

There have been very potent examples of female players who actually have caused similar mental damage to male players. I know of three cases in which three separate new female players to the game were all thought of, no matter how quietly, as potential candidates for actually being a player who had caused this sort of damage, which illicited the persistent questioning in the first place. Why? Because they were nice, charismatic, or successful. Is that really grounds for a guarantee that a new player is actually a retired player? Someone else might wish to cover their view of this from the male perspective, as mine is intended to cover a topic which is relative to female players specifically. There have been male players who have been harassed, sexually or otherwise, but there are large differences as to how they are welcomed by certain players. I can recall a case where a woman saw the end of her NS engagement and promptly received no less than three proposals - within a week.

With that in mind, I feel inclined to emphasize - emphatically - a point which seems to be overlooked by the populations incapable of thinking past the game. Female players are not commodities - they are real people. Actual people behind the screen. People with genuine feelings. Success is, believe it or not, not equivalent to applying the actions of some to the entirety. That would be the same as claiming that everyone in one region hates another region because they don't like the Delegate, or someone else in power. Amazingly, that seems to be a common attack. It is exactly that - an attack. Whether or not there is truth behind it, accusations of severity are an attack on the integrity, character, and values of the recipient. This may well be a game, but there are actual players who are distressed by ill-treatment. There are actual players who are harassed because of gender, and that ruins part of their in-game experience. There is nothing more than spite behind some of these claims. And even if they are true, there are no notable examples of anyone who rose to power and did not have the ability to truly contribute.

Behavior aside, there is a specific, easy stereotype to invoke for whatever reason. This stereotype discredits and casts into the wind what genuine accomplishments and strengths one possesses. With women, it is overly common to fall back on, and that is the accusation of manipulating their way into power. If a character is charismatic and draws activity into the region through personality, I would not call that a lack of strength. It can be abused, but it remains a strength even if used for unsavory purposes. The fear of abuse drives some to make those accusations. Sexual obsession may render others unable to consider female players genuine. Personal bias engendered by resentment, grounded or ungrounded, of a specific player is a case point. Historical examples of such may make cynics of anyone. Political destabilization is yet another motive. There are likely more, and for either practical or absurd reasoning. Regardless of the reason behind it, gender bias is a factor, and what comes of it is not positive. It is a negative force, and the persistent belief that it is almost default is false.

Anyone who gets to a position on personality alone will not go far. As soon as the enamored players lose interest, they would return to obscurity. Power is something that is only kept through hard work and dedication. Without ability, no amount of personality is going to compensate for the lack. If they rise to power because of living the stereotype, they will eventually fall from relevance in the same manner. There is no real way to keep power without the ability to actually deliver constant results. No matter how much a player may be disliked abroad, it can be denied and will remain false that they have no real talent in the game. In the end, it is a game. Some people will forget this, some people will see it as grounds to behave in whatever manner advances them quickly. Players are here because they find the game fun. As a final thought: What happens when the game is no longer fun because of ill-treatment?

RaiderCon Rocks Your Socks Off
News | Kraketopia, Co-Editor-in-Chief

There’s no denying that Jakker pulled it off, RaiderCon was a smashing success by all standards. With the event having a post count (thus far) of over 2,000, it’s clear that much buzz was created by this Convention. The fanfare and hype built up by the flurry of raids leading up to the event certainly didn’t hurt, either.

But, from an event goer (and panelist)’s perspective, what really happened at RaiderCon? Besides good times between event-goers, the true highlight of this Convention was that it presented a venue for NationStates to view raiding, from the perspective of Raiders. It was refreshing to see those who practice raiding give their views on what it is, what it means, and where it’s headed, without having to sift through a bunch of standard rhetorical blabber in the process.

So, how united are Raiders in their beliefs, and where exactly do our modern Raiders stand? Well, as one would expect, the purist Raiders still believe in raiding as an end in and of itself. There was a little back and forth over the usefulness of tag raids, but the purists agreed that large raids were the end goal. In the “New Raiders” panel discussion, all of the responding panelists answered that they wished to be remembered for undertaking a large event, such as beating a tag record or couping a GCR. This shows that for purist Raiders, the old school values of raiding to raid and shocking those you overwhelm, are still prevalent.

The “moderates” were represented by two panels at the Convention, one panel for UCR powers (Imperialists and Independents) and another for GCR powers. Both panels expressed the political and activity benefits of raiding compared to the purist Raiders who were primarily concerned with the end goal of raiding. Although the purists did mention activity benefits a number of times, these activity boosts were primarily referenced as benefitting raid numbers, thus creating a self propagating raiding cycle as opposed to GCR and UCR moderate attendees who wished to create activity for general reasons. Todd McCloud and North East Somerset (NES) both expressed the value raiding (and military action in general) can have for GCR’s as a tool to bolster activity and strengthen regional ties. Both also made it very clear that they believe GCR’s should stay fairly centrist in military ideology, claiming that balanced GCR’s will accommodate their ideologically diverse citizens more effectively than extreme GCR’s.

Moderate UCR’s took a more foreign affairs dominated approach. While they discussed the activity enhancing attributes of military operations, they tended to focus on the plethora of benefits raiding and military action in general can have on foreign policy and influence. OnderKelkia wrote a beautiful statement highlighting the many effective ways raiding can be used to achieve foreign policy goals. These will not be discussed here in the interest of saving space, rather the reader is encouraged to read the notes Jakker released, or the actual speech itself, if they have access.

The final question one asks, and it has been rising to the forefront of NS discussions recently, is whether military gameplay is still as useful as it once was. RaiderCon seems to emphatically state yes. NES’s panel on military intelligence highlighted the important role raiding can play in NS politics, with NES stating, “To that end I also worked on influence, and was instrumental in finding the equations, which came in useful during the TSP and Osiris coups of 2013 - again proving that regions which engage in raiding, can be crucial participants in major NS Gameplay events.” Koth also discussed how raiding enabled sudden change in Osiris.

While some may argue that these events were in 2013, and that things are different now, the logic behind the panelists’ arguments still remains true. Many GCR’s sit precariously at times, even in the modern era. One needs to merely look at the current unplanned Delegate-Guardian switch going on in TWP to see how close endorsement counts can be at times, and how a collaboration of Raiders could have a significant impact on politics if they so desired. The recent Lazarus coup, which certainly involved more elements than just moving endorsements, still demonstrated that GCR numbers can quickly be exploited by certain organizations if they are willing. The arguments presented at RaiderCon abundantly offered support for those who argue that military gameplay isn’t going anywhere.

All military talk aside, the highlight of the whole event was, without a doubt, listening to the interview between Jakker and his girlfriend.

Skeptic or Believer: Gameplay Edition
Radio | Mousebumples

On July 8th, WA Delegate of Europeia Mousebumples sat down with Koth, Todd McCloud, Raven, and a little of Asta (towards the end) for a session of Skeptic or Believer. During the course of the Skeptic or Believer session, they discuss possible NS returnees in 2015, whether a GCR will switch Gameplay alliances (i.e. raider to defender or vice versa) by the end of 2015, and more. Go listen to it above!

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Xor's articles are always good.

Jakker pulled it off? *grumbles something about the whole forum team and getting all those histories corrected and masks and themes and shit*
Agreed on the interview being the best part:P

Ooooh, an interview with Koth. Gotta listen to that

EDIT:
/tfw mouse jokes about DEATing nations
/tfw mod corruption

EDIT2: officially loved the interview Lots of laughs, fun content

EDIT3: I hear there's a second hour. Where can it be found?

[Writinglegend]

EDIT3: I hear there's a second hour. Where can it be found?

The second hour is more chatting rather than the actual Skeptic or Believer, hence why it wasn't included. However, it's just as entertaining. You can find it here.

[Tyeodora Snez Montresor]

Xoriet's articles, once again, hit the nail on the head.

There was talk that Part II was even better than Part I, but given how good I found Part I, it was very hard to believe. But, as it turned out, it was indeed, and both parts complement each other perfectly. It's a real issue faced a lot on NS, and it's more common than one might want to acknowledge. It's an extremely touchy subject, and the courage in speaking out is something to truly be respected.

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

EDIT3: I hear there's a second hour. Where can it be found?

The second hour is more chatting rather than the actual Skeptic or Believer, hence why it wasn't included. However, it's just as entertaining. You can find it here.

Koth dug it up for me Loving it right now.