Looking at everything, and knowing the good this game has done for me, I thought it'd be cool to see the positive impact the game has had on some of us.



So, for me,
All I can say is that this game has greatly affected my non-profit startup,

I am using ideas gathered from years of playing this game on implementing new types of communication structures to involve high tech professional adults in non-profit volunteer/social entrepenurial type of work.

And its working.

And many of the ideas are based on things I learned from playing this game.

I wonder if there are others who may have a similar story of a connection, or smething you learned/read, math skills developed etc that impacted you (beyond making friends etc..)

it filled up some free time I occasionally have?

and has given me new people I more then likey would never have met or known that are pretty cool people.

i can now dougie

I actually have used Earth on a resume for a job I got.

I learned basic html

I made a friend... who I lived with.

does using Earth on a resume actually work?

I think if you use it you'd better be able to discuss the context. Probably something better brought up in an interview. Khan brought it up during an interview for a job he got. That was back when SoF had 200+ members. Heading that type of organization from all different parts of the world sounds impressive (and it is impressive).

Someone needs to teach me HTML code. Even playing this game hasn't taught me anything about it except where to find it on spy op information...

I have used it twice - once for a job I got and once for a job I sort of got. (I passed the interview but the way they hire is first your resume passes, then your interview passes THEN they check to match up your skills, and they reevaluate annually (this is for graduate students in internships).

The one where I got the job was discussing how I had applied my work skills to real life. I had discussed using my basic coding ability and how it improved my NW here (although I used metrics such as improving from a top 5% finish to top .03% finish, rather than discussing specifics of the game). The one where I didn't get the job strictly speaking despite passing the interview was discussing virtual teams in a business context and I talked about some of my experiences organizing people here.

yeah.. lol, I feel better knowing I've be(<-fixing)en organized :-P

I learned a crap ton of programming working on evo2025 & the game itself heh

before that i learned a ton about really fancy excel spreadsheets... and heck even programming to try to brute-force calculate a perfect cash start...

i did use it once for a job in 2nd year university, to show off some programming...


oh yea, and if you go far enough back, i learned HTML for this game.... lol... but that was a LOOONG time ago...

This game has taught me a lot about interacting with different people. People from different cultures and different levels of understanding English require skills that are very transferable to real life. This game has also improved my debating skills at times.

I think perhaps one of the most valuable things that I received from this game was guidance in school and life from people such as Rainbow and several others to varying degrees. We've got some great people who have helped me and others to mature. The willingness to always offer advice or lend a helping hand has certainly rubbed off on me from several different facets of my life including this one.

We have a great game, but an even greater community. Thanks Earthers for all you've taught and helped me.

I got accepted into ucla and a couple other schools for college apps when I wrote my essay about e2025 message board forums. It was about how I learned how to debate and different logical fallacies or something, it was a little under ten years ago so I don't remember exactly.

FA also teaches a lot about communication and conflict resolution. I'm talking about alliance server FA duties back when I was more involved. I mess around more on team bc it is a less serious server.

But alliance server FA requires navigating interests that compete with each other. Having your alliance get gangbanged or being able to pact out is largely a function of the communication abilities of your foreign affairs, leadership.

On the conflict resolution end, just look at back at how many grudge wars there have been in the history of earth.

On the conflict prevention end, you learn the consequences of heated rivalries, suiciders etc....

Most of these lessons eventually come in the workplace, but it is especially valuable for teenagers. It also growth and understanding of nuances for things that people don't get until they work in serious competitive environments.

Other lessons:

The value of co-operative interests despite competing interests. Land is the most valuable resource in this game. Yet at the same time, the game needs players to make the accomplishments significant. On alliance server, we've seen some alliances avoid maximizing their land potential derived form attacking other countries the past few years as the player base has declined in order to maintain the health of the game.

At the same end, you also see the consequences of when some alliances overdo it, and the consequences (players leaving the game)

I've never used Earth on a resume, or launched a project with real world benefits because of something that's happened here. However, I do feel like my participation in this community has had a strong impact on who I am.

I know for a fact that I'm a long way from the top in terms of hours invested in this game, however, I believe I'm the player who's spent the largest part of his life as a member of this community. That is to say, I started playing this game 14 years ago (as of next month) and I'm currently 22 years old. I'll let you do the math, but that's a huge portion of my life.

For all that time, within this community, I've wanted to be taken seriously. I always had my view-points (right or wrong) and wanted to be judged based on the merits of those views rather than my age. As a result of that, I learned to write in a manner which didn't reveal my age. Once I managed that, I stopped being treated with kids gloves by those I disagreed with and had to learn how to form a strong argument and defend it.

My style of writing, and then my manner of speaking were impacted by those experiences. How I look at things and analyse situations was determined largely by my interactions within this game.

That isn't to say that Earth was the only influence on me in those ways. There certainly were many others -- however, this game was a consistent one. If knowledge and skills that I learned elsewhere were of use to me within this game, I tended to hold onto them while many other things were left by the wayside.

The truth is that I can't really identify precisely what differences this game has made in my life. Obviously, I am the man I am and have no way of knowing what I'd be like if I'd never played this game at all. Maybe the changes would be big, maybe small. But I don't think that it's a coincidence that the things at which I excel are directly linked to skills relevant to this game.

At the very least, this place has been a sounding board for me where I could test my knowledge and skills in an environment that I knew wasn't taking it easy on me. For that, I'm thankful to have played this game.

-Fooglmog
Guy with no clue.

You're only 22, Foog? I would've guessed 45, at the youngest.

Really?

I remember being 14 and people commenting that I must be in my 20s... but why 45?

-Fooglmog
Guy with no clue.

Well, 1: You write posts with more than 1 paragraph, and 2: You write your signature after every post, which to me, signals someone who is over the age of 40.

I know that isn't very good logic, but I'm kind of drunk.

Odd...I remember being 18, and having 14-year-old girls begging their parents to date me because I 'looked 14'.

Oh...right...what Earth has done for me...ok.

Well, mostly learned how to program, how basic code structure works, etc, for mirc-based newsbots. Learned PHP to help QZ on qzGT, and for the forums.




Did she ever tell you that one time she got in trouble by the feds, through totally no fault of my own?

Earth improved my english skills. at least my oral skills, i still make a lot of typos when writing. so now i'm being topfed instead of topfeeded :P

i also learned how to cut right to the chase of the matter from all the FA talks over the years

The politics of this game shed light for me on the nature of people in negotiations. Back in college I would have said this game turned me into someone who professes to a real politik point of view.

The best part of the game is the people. I have made some friends I would probably otherwise never have crossed paths with.

Oh man.

The things I learned playing this game helped me tremendously!

I was mainly active during my late teens and early 20s.

Leadership, communication, organization, project planning and implementation, and conflict resolution are all big ones that I took from here and use out in the real world.

After dealing with the public and private politics of trying to run a small alliance with a big mouth, things like inter-office politics and drama are nothing.

I picked up the habit of saving copies of all communication, in case someone decided to try to screw me later. That habit has saved me and my various employers numerous times.

This game took me down a route that has lead directly to current career. (I am running a TTR with a small South American Country :P ) But in all honesty, I don't know where I would be if it wasn't for Earth2025 and Clowns. Somewhere. But it probably would have been somewhere vastly different.

I started digging through some old Clown stuff last night and man did it bring back memories! I spent A LOT of time here. I made many friends (and some enemies). I keep in touch with a few people to this day all these years later. For that alone I am glad I played.

dunno why, but Foog's writings remind me of Tolkien at times.

and i have no idea how i got stuck here, but it's mostly a place where i can drink safely without having to worry about a DUI. plus every now and then i learn something new.

It has made me drink heavily.

and have dirty dreams of sheep.

Is that your way of saying that I'm long-winded? :)

-Fooglmog
Guy with no clue.

enjoyment, what i look for from games.

hehe, no, well, maybe. but it probably just means that i appreciate your style.

i wish to change my answer, it introduced me to dibs
far more entertaining than the game!

It has let me meet a ton of people who I would not have otherwise met including good number of rl friends.

Also traveling the world and having a place to stay:) Also going somewhere I would never have thought of going.

I would say it has caused me to drink more but that's a lie.. grad studies did that.

In terms of my career/job I guess not really although I almost got kicked out of a computer lab due to earth.

I suppose the whole fluff thing maybe:P

Oh man... after 14 years, I've learned:

...that you can almost always get a near facsimile of what you want/need by treating people with respect and by using the appropriate negotiation skills.
...that I have a place to stay almost anywhere in the world (except maybe Malaysia or wherever Elitez and Espion were from - lol).
...how to work a help desk (which ended up changing my career path).
...that, despite totally sucking at math in school AND being blond, I can do math with the best of 'em and almost win a text-based strategy game.
...some pretty incredible leadership and coordination skills, because getting almost 200 people from all over the world to fight together for a common goal AND keeping them in line takes some serious SKILLZ. :p
...that people lie more often than not, and no amount of giving them the benefit of the doubt will change that.
...that you still have to give people the benefit of the doubt, even if people lie more often than not.
...that no matter what question you have, a community like this knows the answer. Sure, you'll have to sift through a hundred sarcastic and derogatory posts to find it, but someone here knows it and will help you out.
...that communities like this are inherently helpful in other ways too, like when you're in a bind at work and need something done in a hurry. :)

So basically, I've learned that most of you are awesome and I wouldn't trade any of the time I've 'wasted' being a part of this community. (Okay, maybe I would trade some of those 20-hour days spent on the computer while I was leading TIE, because that was just stupid... but meh. lol)

http://atarchive.gotdns.org:8080/...ivepost.jsp?thread=127950


Shining example right there, ladies and gentlemen.

"...that people lie more often than not, and no amount of giving them the benefit of the doubt will change that."

patience, i am afraid that is the whole world, not just this game :(

AHAHAHAHAHA NukE!!!! I was just talking to RaVeS and he sent me this: http://i.imgur.com/ORXTI.jpg

We totally cracked up!

braden, you're absolutely right. It IS the whole world. But you still have to find a way not to become jaded. ;)

Thank you! I read the new posts in this thread in reverse and after I saw Patience's post I was crazing your link!

easily one of the best threads of all time


As for what this game has done. Many people have grown up on this game. It has been interesting watching that in my opinion. Hell, I went from a drugged out college student to a family man with a wife and kid. The transformation of players is what I find most interesting.

Not to mention the leadership skills to run a clan or a 300 member warchat. Wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

And the way the community comes together during a death of a member or a injury or a tragedy like they have so many times in the past. Many don't know eachother IRL but consider eachother friends. You can't trade that for anything.

I think more than anything most people involved in leadership positions within the game can walk away with significantly improved organizational skills and moreover an increased ability to apply strategy in multiple dynamics to your lifestyle, workplace, or business.

I think more than anything most people involved in leadership positions within the game can walk away with significantly improved organizational skills and moreover an increased ability to apply strategy in multiple dynamics to your lifestyle, workplace, or business.

It has introduced me to my only true love...


Patty! <3

lol... AoS!!! Long time no see!!! <3 <3 <3 How've you been?

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1902102

For patty

<3

Before I started playing earth I was on a steady diet of government cheese and living in a van down by the river.

In all seriousness. How to modify attitudes/behaviors, motivate, lead, plan, handle stress, organize, etc. I think it helped me get a grip on my temper too.

I was young when I started SoF, early twenties. I knew I had what it took to be the best and the leadership of Omega at the time didn't want to go the direction I was heading. I left to prove what an alliance could do if ran my way. When Sof reached it's potential it motivated me a lot both in the game and personally.

This game has also solidified my hatred for cheating losers and cry baby poor sports. :)

I met ruth.

As a stoner, I credit this game for me remembering what the word math means.

a number of my closest friends IRL I either met through earth, or I got to start playing earth, so I have a lot of friends that are earthers/ex earthers :P

It has helped to develop a lot of skills (the alliance leadership aspects more so than the playing aspects) that I wish I could put on a resume, but never will.

But the game has done a lot of negative things for me too. I spent so much of my late teens negotiating FA deals on ICQ, when I should have been... well the opportunity cost associated with all that time is nearly infinite.

I had a lot of fun with hours of FA talks. There are definitely limitless possibilities for what you could have done otherwise. If you were having fun with what you did though, would you really want to change it?

Its helped me develop my iMag mentality across all online games I play.

The first thing I look for is pvp now in mmorpgs. And fighting impossible odds is now fun even if I get raped!

it wasted my Wednesday... :p

Are you saying we are a waste Pang? </3