NationStates 2 Game

NationStates 2 is an online based text game that allows a person to be the ruler of a country of their creation. In addition to being able to create alliances and trade agreements with other active players, one can also participate in online forums to discuss their states etc. The best part however is that every day the player is presented with two pieces of legislation and is able to choose between two to four different predetermined options.

Today, my nation (called Koeur) was presented with two pieces of legislation. One had to do with education while the other had to do with sports. I will start with what I consider the more trivial piece.

"No Loser Left Behind"
Professor Boris Palva, renowned behavioral scientist, has released data which he claims proves that competitive sports are harmful.

1) "These sports damage the self-confidence of citizens who lack the attributes required to compete successfully," argues the professor. "We can develop sports without such negative effects if we apply a scientific approach to the problem."


2) "Sport is only a problem if you lose," yells Harry Maguire. "Train our kids harder and we'll have a nation to be proud of!"


3) "The most efficient solution is to make sure that we produce winners," argues Doctor Frank Shelley. "Let me begin a program of eugenics and genetic alteration which will one day make Koeur the envy of every other nation."


In addition to the choices presented above, there is also an option to "Dismiss the issue" if you, the ruler, decides that they don't even want to deal with it. In my case, I chose to dismiss this issue not because I didn't want to deal with it but because I didn't think that it was something that should be dealt by the government of my state (who happens to be me). The state should not be advocating neither for or against recreational activity of it's citizens. If the citizens should approach the government, demanding advocacy for one way or another, they should be rebuffed and told to that government has neither the authority or concern for such matters. Even if a sport was created that involved serious persecution, injury or destruction of property--even then, the perpetrators would be breaking previously founded laws and would be accordingly tried for their crimes.

The second piece of legislation follows:

"Level the Playing Field"
"The entry demands for getting into higher education in Koeur are simply too much of a hurdle for our schoolchildren," writes Agnes Leach, concerned mother of nine, in The Oleander

1) "Education for all, regardless of so-called ability, should be the goal of this government," argues Harry P. Houtingdon-Swit, leader of the Koeur Initiative for Equality. "I had the benefit of a liberal education which allowed me to blossom and bloom without worrying about practical matters. Every citizen of Koeur should be given such an opportunity to find their true calling even if they do take a little longer to start working."

2) "Strict division of our children into predetermined areas of expertise is what we need," says Professor Hermingard Scrounch. "It is trivial for us to discover the innate predispositions of a child and make the system run efficiently. Children will be able to develop their skills without distraction from disciplines for which they have no aptitiude."

3) "Abolish higher education!" yells the leader of the underground Neo-Socialist Workers Party at a rally in the center of the capitol. "We don't need stuffy intellectuals to tell us how to live. Equality for all!"


Making a decision for this legislation was admittedly a bit trickier. I was stuck between dismissing this issue and choosing option 1. Option 2 and Option 3 are both unnecessary and borderline arbitrary dictatorial logic, not to mention assuredly horrendous results. While Option 1 restricts some freedom of Koeur's citizens by creating an atmosphere where all jobs necessitate some kind of education, it does invest in the future economy, health and well being. Option 1 is also very unclear and vague about what "Education for all" exactly means and entails. Does it mean drastically raising taxes and creating nationalized schools, or does it mean that the government is in favor of education and might increase funding for libraries and promotes education throughout it's branches and departments? All of this tempted me to once again dismiss the issue, to say that it shouldn't be the role of government to vaguely promote teaching of knowledge, which, again put me in a conundrum.

Is it the role of government to guard and promote education? Or is that not the role of educational institutions and private schools? Is it not dangerous to have government control or promotion of education? Is there not a likelihood for certain ideas and knowledge to be promoted and others ignored? Won't there be a likelihood, or at least temptation of emergence of propaganda being taught in state schools? Surely it is dangerous to put the governing in charge of promotion of knowledge for it poses a threat to the freedom of thought itself.

Unfortunately, the NationStates 2 game is not nearly as in depth, so I would apply my concerns only if said legislation piece were real. I did chose Option 1, despite my principals, because the game depends on practicality rather than ideology (not unlike real life--some would argue).