An essay. My gratitude goes to Purple Hyacinth, NationStates' biggest and best hydrangea enjoyer, for her willingness to bear the seedlings of this mighty oak before I could come around to watering it.
Polished and Professional
Has anyone else noticed that Gameplay was more fun in 2021 than it is in 2024? It was the last year that raiders and defenders were on a more-or-less even playing field for the duration - and the last year they could pull off the big antifascist raids together, before the Nazis got ushered out that May. It was a time when regional dramas such as the one surrounding Force could still be spoken of in hushed tones, rather than blown open to the masses; in recent years, arguably only Community can say this. And just about anything that happened in public could be reasonably reacted to with "Woah! What the fuck just happened?!"
Drew Durnil started another YouTube boom, the last in the English-speaking world, and promptly got Long PP Land deleted for his troubles. Prospective authors still only had to worry about WALL; getting an ordinary proposal to quorum in six hours - or four - would be an amazing achievement for them. 2021 was such a great year that it got a Declaration - a unique distinction in gameplay history. Did I mention that 2021 gave the world Declarations?
I founded Sophia in April 2021, from the ruins of Auctor. It was one of the best years I ever had. Quite possibly, it was the last in which you could build a sizable number of good, strong, meaningful and fun relationships without running too much into politics or the inevitability of despair. The likes of Vara, Emi, TESDAI, Makasta, and Honeydew proved to be great friends and great allies in those days. Gameplay was less polarised and a touch more individualistic. (I was even on reasonable terms with The League, who helped support my delegacy in its first few days!)
They could be a bit silly at times, but even then, they had nothing on the absolute vibes that were being given off by some of the other people I hung around with in those days. Purple Hyacinth loved her flowers as much as everyone. Phoenix of the Sun preferred FIYAH. The Python wasn't a legless lizard; then they became Apatosaurus, owner of one of the coolest flags in Gameplay. Minskiev was a walrus. BowShot was a whale. Kyorgia didn't really theme himself, but relished in the outrage of things. Greater Cesnica had a famously surrealist sense of humour but was more than happy to use KEKW when needed. Xoriet was cool and composed, to be sure, but - a bit like Cesnica - was snappy, sarcastic, thoroughly anti-fascist, and fond of her own favourite emoji, PikaThink.
Where are we now? Hya is retired in all but name. Phoe is now Ray, an artistic legend but largely a retired one. Magecastle has left all those old identities behind, grown in leaps and bounds and is now on GenSec. Minsk and Bow never gave up their themes and both became TRR Delegate in time. To his credit, too, Kyorgia remains as slapstick and as iconic as ever. Cesnica is mostly retired. Xoriet is now the Empress of the NPO, so she's tilted more towards the seriousness - although Zoran can testify she hasn't lost her magic touch.
And that is not even to start on Gameplay, which - while not as hot as it was in Spring/Summer 2023 - is still very much a live battleground, in a way that it was not in 2021. The Brotherhood of Malice has done a great job at issuing thematic Calling Cards for their members, but everyone is taking the conflict between the Modern Gameplay Compact and Raider Unity very seriously indeed. Another Sophia would not be impossible - I see the Blue Ridge emerge from the fog - but, given how big, old and popular the existing regions are, and how deep the divide is, it is a damn sight harder than it was.
This is not like the essays I normally write. It's not an essay where I ask what on earth we've done in the past three years to deserve this or try and promote One True Idea. Regions I can hope to provide some actionable, meaningful advice to. Nations, by virtue of their individual nature and preferences, I cannot. I do hope, however, that this will be an accessible, informative, and perhaps even thought-provoking essay for everyone - about how to Make Gameplay Fun Again, in a year when a lot of people have already made a lot of decisions about what they want their world to look like.
A Tailored Suit Always Fits
There are, by and large, three different kinds of active, involved Gameplayer. There are the professionals - cool, smart, and always with an eye on their nation and region. They've always been around, but as regions grow older and maturer, the vibes of regional leaders - the people that most people are likely to recognise - becomes business more than theatre. Hulldom and Quebecshire are the quintessential professionals, although they can be a bit snappy. The likes of Solringen, UPC and Altys are on the more balanced end of the scale - remarkable for what they do more than anything.
There are the personalities - they are vocal and perhaps famous, but not exactly an influential all-star who you'd necessarily recognise on the metaphorical sidewalk. Sometimes, they get loud enough that not even TRR wants them. The average person active in the average region - and virtually every RMB roleplayer - is a personality: they have opinions, make them clear, and would like them to be heard. Personalities have always existed, and will always exist, in great numbers. Some of the more famous personalities include Durm (whose themes are far too many to mention), Westinor (who has a distinctive style and a unique track record, but is more well-known for the latter by far), and 9003 (more widely-known as a prominent cards player, despite their hard work in bringing The Wellspring to the masses).
And then there are the characters. These people are interregionally important (even if they aren't necessarily cosmopolitan). They also have a calling card above and beyond that importance; a very strong, very well-advertised personal brand. Simone Republic is the most obvious example of this in the WA - his nation is populated by bears and he makes no secret of that fact. Xoriet and the TRRers are still around. Virtually all the major members of Malice are characters in some sense, even though many of them are not necessarily that famous. Concrete Slab is still around; most of Karma's leadership fits here. Otherwise, though, they are now few and far between.
What is true for the Kingsman spy agency - ironically presented as one of the last of its kind in the movie franchise - is also true for Gameplay. Like Kingsman, it also shouldn't be a question of forcing people into a brand new lifestyle. Pathonia and Dushina are great examples of emerging characters; they cut their teeth in The Pacific's RMB, emerged to write a resolution, faced challenges (mostly from yours truly), sparked a change in the system, and are on track to become well-known proposal authors with distinct styles. I am sure you have your own experiences or interests. You may - or may not - want to tell the world. It is fine either way.
I doubt there will be a return to "NS Families" any time soon; they were on their last legs when I was starting in 2016, did not exactly have the best reputation in the world, and had pretty much vanished by the time Queen Yuno - the last of the old guard (and ironically one of the professionals - a very relaxed one to her friends, but a caustic figure to her enemies) - left as TEP Delegate in October 2018. We know that regions are also collections of nations, but tend to forget the impact of their cultures (except when they're huge problems): they generally just have a form of government and a few relevant cultural elements.
It was UPC who said that "many of our enemies claim to have forsworn politics in favor of "just having fun."" Strictly speaking, this is true. But I do think a balance is needed overall - between good government, good fun, good understandings, and good relations. This cannot be achieved without a regional environment in which vigorous, meaningful debate; strong regional traditions, not even necessarily formalistic ones; and a commitment to peace, eventually, are encouraged.
Going Clothes Shopping
As I see it, there are far fewer characters now than there were three years ago. I'm not saying this is the reason for the stagnation of gameplay. But it may be a reason. Gameplayers would do well to treat their in-character enemies as people, not as monolithic opponents. The job of doing this is one that requires people on board - not only additional job titles. (What did Richard Nixon, famous and infamous though he was, say about peacemakers?) I therefore have a few ideas for how to go about this.
For individuals: Don't just abandon your current identity. Do consider finding something that fits your vibe, so long as it is nice and respectful. Mention it from place to place, although maybe not everywhere. See if it's more like a balloon or a lead balloon; I'd say "don't be afraid to experiment," but you might be risk-averse. In the end, you could give people ideas; even ICly, the gameplay mainstream could gradually start acknowledging each other for who they are, as well as what they are (we already have a strong sense of OOC respect). They will, most likely, find that the people they are dealing with are not all that evil; that they have different ideas of how to go about similar, or possibly dissimilar, things. And slowly, but surely, fun will return to NationStates. E pluribus unum!
For regions: Regions attract the kind of people they want to see. There are already a million and two democracies floating about; your region needs to clearly have something extra (even if it isn't a democracy). If it does not have one, think about it, and then talk about it. If it does, talk about it when you can. There is already a good deal of latitude for reasonable democratic thought in NationStates' mainstream - both conventionally and memetically. Using the full spectrum will help guide people to where they truly feel they can do their most and be their best, rather than just another region. They will find new friends, develop their own sense of humour (and other utterances), rise up the ranks, and be seen. Maybe - just maybe - they will end up in a position to add some pure, undiluted sparkle to the game.
For everyone: If someone or somewhere is in good standing with the international community, treat it with due respect. If it's not, unite to condemn it. You are playing one NationStates, not one of two.
For the love of the game: NationStates has previously known times of widespread friendship, collaboration, and joie de vivre; I lived through the most recent of these periods, although we are far-removed from it now. Today's environment is one of fear, dispute, and seriousness; there is room for something different, but cobwebs are growing and mould might set in a few years from now. A bit of well-placed personality can go a long way in unfreezing the currently-tense relations across Gameplay. A lot of bits of well-placed personality might just make the world a cooler place.
