Virtual nation
A virtual nation is the simulation of a state model on the Internet as a project by Internet users. The attempt is made to found a state by oneself and to operate it with other players. In addition to politics and business, normal life is also simulated. The virtual nations see themselves as fictional and make no claims to real land.
term
Virtual nations often refer to themselves as "micronations" (or micronations). Further names are web state , cybernation and virtual state . The abbreviation MN or µN is also used within the scene .
However, the term micronation is sometimes also used for state-like entities in the real world that only use the Internet to publicly assert their claims to recognition.
Basic concept
A virtual nation is the attempt to simulate a state over the Internet. Virtual nations generally do not lay claim to real national territory, but see themselves as completely virtual. State structures including government and legal systems are set up and a fictional geography and culture are devised. The entire game also takes place in the minds of the players or in forums and on the websites of the state, companies, parties, clubs, etc. In principle, this can be as complex as desired. A virtual nation can be a single project, but is generally implemented by several “citizens” together, especially since interaction and competition are an important driving force in the dynamics of a virtual nation. The players usually do not know each other and come from different parts of the world or at least from different corners of a language area, which can be an additional attraction. Often players from several nations or the governments of several states participate in joint projects. Maps of the virtual world or reference works such as the MNWiki are created from these.
development
In the German-speaking countries, the first virtual nations emerged in the mid-1990s . At that time - in the spirit of the dawning Internet age - the focus was on communication and community building with the help of the new medium Internet. The self-image as a “state” apart from the real world was an original idea for an end in itself. In the new millennium there is an increasing tendency away from the “community” concept towards role play . In numerous projects, the line between a virtual nation and a text role-playing game is blurring. Although the fictional political system is generally still the focus of interest, terms such as “design” and “simulation” have put extensive efforts to create alternative worlds including fictional or reality-based histories and cultures.
A key role in this context is played by the development that the largest German virtual card organization OIK has faced competition from a new, second organization, the Graphein Foundation (GF), founded in early 2005 . While the OIK has traditionally limited itself to the arrangement of the member states on a simple map, the GF (today CartA ) worked with a spherically designed map that geometrically corresponds to a world map and on which cultural areas are distributed on the continents. Only countries that convincingly simulate a real cultural area and can thus be integrated in detail into the “GF world” are entered. From the end of the noughties onwards, the MN community was largely “split into two”: While the OIK parliamentary group is openly organized and, for example, As the resident on the OIC international organization UVNO and the MN-Wiki principle open to States both the OIC and the GF or Carta, the now defunct limited Council of Nations and the Encyclopedia of Nations on States of the CF card. In principle, it is possible for every country to be entered on the cards of both organizations and thus simulate twice in parallel, but this option is only used by a few countries. In 2008 the GF and AIC merged and founded CartA. However, the attempt to merge OIK and CartA into one organization in 2015 failed.
In addition to the organizations mentioned, other organizations not related to the OIK or CartA began to be founded in the 2010s. In this context, in addition to the International Association of Virtual Nations "Ultos" v. a. to name the political browser game and business simulation "Ars Regendi". These new models differ in many ways from the concept of a fictional state coined by the OIK and GF, which is why these platforms prefer to use the term "virtual nation" (as opposed to the traditional term "micronation").
Structure and gameplay
Technical components
The forum
The forum is an important part of many virtual nations . All current and relevant events and political discussions take place here. In German-speaking projects, the forum software WoltLab Burning Board is mostly used , and more rarely the open source software phpBB . In non-German-speaking projects, a Yahoo group is sometimes used instead of the forum .
The website
All relevant information about the respective virtual nation is summarized on the website. On the one hand, this includes virtual data such as the size of the country, the number of inhabitants, information about the political structure of the country, the currency and other important virtual data. On the other hand, real data such as the number of players, the clubs, companies or parties founded by the players, the history of the virtual nation and much more are given.
This information serves on the one hand to decorate the country, but on the other hand also to orient the players. A framework for the “face” of the country is created through cultural guidelines. Not all nations have a website, there are some, mostly very young, states that only consist of a forum.
The WiSim
Many virtual nations enrich the game with what is known as an economic simulation (WiSim). Such software is generally referred to as - like a forum - server-side software that manages account balances that are imaginary for citizens. More complex systems also enable a simulated economic cycle to be operated.
Constitution and rules of the game
There is no state without a law that is valid there. That is why a virtual nation needs basic rules or laws, but at least some rules of the game. While the rules of the game define the principles according to which the game works (e.g. conditions of participation, rules for simulating events, SimOn / SimOff separation), the constitution and laws within the game come about through legislation. In some states, the separation of the rules of the game and SimOn laws is not strictly adhered to; for example, many constitutions contain regulations on the status of other players and participation procedures.
SimOn and SimOff
Since most virtual nations attach great importance to representing a country in an imaginary world, the entire virtual event is often referred to as simulation . Since the other players in the respective forums do not only communicate on the basis of this role play, the flow of information is divided into SimOn (ie "simulation on") and SimOff ("simulation off").
SimOn is the game happening within the simulation itself, SimOff all conversations about the real world or about the framework in which the simulation is run. This separation - strictly adhered to by many fellow players when writing in the forums of virtual states - should be clarified here using a few examples:
| is SimOff | is SimOn | |
| Virtual nation | Project of the game master | a real country |
| Person playing | Teammates | Citizen of the country |
| "Parliament" area in the forum | Parliament Forum | Hall in the parliament building |
| France | a country | not existent |
| Napoleon | French general | nonexistent, at best as a person of the same name in a virtual nation |
Although an attempt is being made to further develop the game principle so that SimOff and SimOn are separated as consistently as possible, this is not completely possible in some places. So z. B. Card organizations operated on the threshold from SimOn to SimOff: On the one hand, member states send delegates and often engage in power politics within the framework of card organizations; on the other hand, the entry of countries that have emerged from nothing on any location on a card is obviously not realistic and clearly a SimOff- Measure.
IDs
In the complex game system that has been devised over the years, a fictional person who is embodied by a fellow player is called ID (for "identity"). In role-play-oriented virtual nations, it is permitted for a teammate to play several IDs in order to stimulate game practice and for better design. But since each player z. B. in the case of elections, for the sake of fairness, only one person is to be represented, it is divided into main IDs and secondary IDs . In general, each player may only have one (eligible) main ID and several (non-eligible) secondary IDs.
An ID is usually designed extensively. Players give their ID a story and a résumé, which is often presented on a personal website or in an open reference book such as the MN Wiki or the Lexicon of Nations similar to real people. IDs are almost always displayed visually by choosing a real person with a suitable appearance and using a picture of this person as an avatar in the game forums.
Scope and importance
The play community has always had a niche existence. There is no verified data on the number of players in German-speaking countries. However, estimates can be made on the basis of various indications: For example , around 600 users are registered at the marketplace of micronations , an Internet forum that serves as a meeting point for players from the German-speaking micronations (status 3/2010). However, this number cannot be considered meaningful in isolation, because on the one hand there are multiple registrations and on the other hand the website does not reach the entire game community as a catchment area. According to current estimates (6/2018) around 130 are active. Around 60–80 micronations currently exist. However, some of these are inactive or not entered on a map.
The importance of the phenomenon of virtual nations arises primarily from the fact that they exemplify the consequences of the development of new forms of communication, especially the World Wide Web and especially the Internet forums . Internet communication is characterized by a superficial anonymity that makes it the rule to appear under pseudonyms ; this has established itself both with e-mail addresses and in interactive offers such as web forums and social networks . A second key aspect is the lack of location: where a person is is not important in Internet communication. In addition, there is no supervisory authority for acting in the World Wide Web within certain limits, as there is a state in real life. These aspects - anonymity, non-locality and anarchy - are consistently exploited in a virtual nation: the players give themselves a fictitious identity, create a fictional place and organize fictitious state authority.
On the side, virtual nations also have a meaning as an educational concept. So operated z. For example, the SaarLernNetz , an “association of various educational providers to promote lifelong learning”, and the Virtual Nation Kingdom of Anelka from 2003 to 2007 with the aim of “testing game methods in e-learning”. Compared with normal online games, virtual nations offer "the advantage and added value of a broader spectrum of fields of interaction and action". The project was reported in the news magazine Stern .
Diversity of virtual nations
The landscape of the virtual states in the German-speaking area is very diverse. In addition to the Free Republic of Laputa (online since June 17, 1995) and the Free State of KLE , the Democratic Union (formerly Democratic Union Ratelon ), with its existence since 1998, is one of the oldest still active states. A total of approx. 30 states are currently entered on the OIK map and approx. 50 on the CartA
In principle, one can differentiate between historical virtual states and current ones. Historical micronations simulate life and politics from a bygone era as a starting point and continue to play the story independently. While the Roman Empire (e.g. Imperium Romanum) has been used as a model for a long time, medieval virtual states (e.g. role-playing game Middle Ages) and the simulation of Central Europe around 1870 (Imperial Age) have only enjoyed some popularity since 2005 . There are also other simulated epochs and variants. The contact with micronations of the present time turns out to be difficult due to the time difference and if so, it is more informal and outside the simulation.
In the virtual states that are playing in the current era, there is a great variety of political systems and cultures, although many micronations still simulate a “German culture”. There are various tendencies within the now-time micronations that make it difficult to clearly categorize the states. Often there are also mixed forms. Since around 2002/2003, for example, there has been an increased tendency towards cultural simulation, which continues to this day. The virtual states are often based on the example of real cultures and sometimes placed in a new context. Here, too, there is a very strong European-centric orientation. Examples of cultural simulations include the Yellow Kingdom, Astor, Livornia, Futuna and Turania.
There are also simulations that focus on humor and sociality; these are often referred to as the “fun nation”. Since these simulations are less concerned with realism and interaction on a “serious” basis with such states is only possible to a limited extent, they are sometimes criticized. A clear categorization as a "fun nation" is difficult, mixed forms are more the rule. Mention should be made of the Kingdom of Pottyland, Bananaworld and Kaputistan. Not to be confused with fun nations are satirical states that satirically implement a real, formerly also virtual state model. B. the Aggressive Dictatorship Kling or the Free Republic of Laputa (both no longer exist).
There are also influences in the fantasy and science fiction area, for example when the states simulate extensive space projects , such as in the socialist Tir na nÒg. There is a spectrum in the political systems that even comes close to the real systems. There are absolute monarchies (e.g. cedariums), constitutional monarchies (such as tri-guarantors, Livornia (de jure), Cranberra), parliamentary monarchies (e.g. Albernia), republics "based on the Western European model" (e.g. B. Astor, Dionysus, Fuchsen), Islamic Republics (e.g. United Islamic Republic) to dictatorial banana republics (e.g. Stralia). Furthermore, council republics (e.g. Ireland) and socialist systems (e.g. Wolfenstein, SDR) can also be found. Theocracies (such as the Elkiasar Council) have not been stable for a long time.
Most projects only exist for a very short time. Although some projects from the early days of the micronations have survived to this day, most start-ups are only temporary, as the ideas that dominate the start-up only provide material for a certain period of time and the activity of the players usually slackens if no more interesting events take place that you can interact with. This leads to a chain reaction that sooner or later brings many projects to a standstill. If this condition persists for a long time, one speaks of inactive states . These are deleted from your card by the responsible card organization after a warning period.
Selection of international organizations
Cartography Association
The Cartography Association (CartA for short) was created in autumn 2008 through the merger of the Graphein Foundation (GF for short) and the Association Internationale de Cartographie (AIC for short). With currently 50 members, it is the largest card organization in German-speaking countries. It relies on realistic simulation and qualitative states.
Ultos
Another association of virtual nations is the International Association of Virtual Nations "Ultos" (IAVNU). Founded in 2014, IAVNU is one of the younger international organizations. It currently has 82 active member states. The member states of the IAVNU are arranged on a fictitious planet for which the IAVNU manages a physical and political world map. The focus of IAVNU is on activity and dynamism both within and between the individual countries, e.g. B. in economic and military alliances. The IAVNU is characterized by a high degree of virtuality (for example through completely fictitious languages, religions and ideologies), despite which, overall, the overall picture of the planet is as consistent as possible.
Former organizations
United Virtual Nations Organization
Many virtual nations have joined forces in an organization based on the UN , called the United Virtual Nations Organization or UVNO . Until 2003, the UVNO managed a virtual world map of the micronational world, national codes and telephone codes, which were adopted by the OIK. As an international organization, the UVNO enjoys a certain importance among the OIK countries despite the lack of a concept and inactivity. The UVNO is basically open to all virtual nations. The UNVO has been inactive for a long time.
Graphein Foundation
The Graphein Foundation (GF for short) was another map organization that kept close to the real model with its world map. There were ethnically ordered card slots that were supposed to achieve a more realistic cultural diversity. With the founding of the AIC, the GF fell into disrepair, so that AIC and GF now operate under the name CartA.
Council of Nations
The Council of Nations (RdN) was an international organization made up of states from the CartA card. It was conceived by the founders in July 2006 as an element of geopolitical events in the GF world and was limited to this role. Due to the merging of the AIC and GF world, membership was now possible for CartA members. After a period of prolonged inactivity, the Council of Nations unanimously dissolved on March 11, 2012.
International Cartography Organization
The OIK was the organization for cartography and communication and administered its own map as well as international area codes and country codes. Most of the German-speaking nations were now shown on their map. After a long period of inactivity, the OIK was dissolved by a corresponding resolution of the General Assembly on May 15, 2020.
Outside the German-speaking area
Virtual nations have also existed in other language areas since the 1990s, such as France, Great Britain, Poland and Brazil.
In the literature
In literature, many states and even entire worlds have been and are being devised ( world crafts ) and there are also parodies of types of text such as travel guides to imaginary places.
literature
- Trend towards state formation on the Internet . ( Memento from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Netzeitung
- The fantasy state of Ratelon . ( Memento from January 15, 2002 in the Internet Archive ) In: Stuttgarter Zeitung .
Web links
- mn-welt.de - Information site for entry into the world of micronations
- MNWiki.de - Wiki of Micronations
- Marketplace of the micronations - meeting point of the German micronations
- News from the micronations - news service of the virtual nations
- Chancellor, Emperor or Pope . - Online edition of NEON
- Association of Virtual Nations "Ultos" - example of an association of virtual nations
Individual evidence
- ↑ Micronation in the English language Wikipedia
- ↑ What are micronations? mn-welt.de, Section 1 - The term
- ↑ MNwiki Wiki on Virtual Nations
- ^ History of the micronations . mn-welt.de
- ↑ Current situation . mn-welt.de, paras. 5-8 on the development of card organizations
- ↑ mn-marktplatz.de user statistics at the end of the page
- ↑ SaarLernNetz (accessed on May 11, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.)
- ↑ "Anelka" - rule a micronation . ( Memento of the original from October 17, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) In: INFORM. P. 5f.
- ↑ Anelka - The virtual simulation game ( Memento of the original from October 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) p. 2.
- ↑ List of states on Ultos - ultos.de. Retrieved June 13, 2019 .
- ↑ File: Physische Weltkarte.png - ultos.de. Retrieved May 18, 2019 .
- ↑ File: Politische Weltkarte.png - ultos.de. Retrieved May 18, 2019 .
- ↑ About . In: Ultos . October 30, 2014 ( wordpress.com [accessed June 1, 2017]).
- ↑ UVNO - ATTENTION !!!! Retrieved February 20, 2018 .
