Identity Education Project-Gabe Garrison

[Ziggabot 5]

The Educating of Identity 

Identity is an island of newcomers. Thanks to a MASSIVE expected immigration and tourism boost once the island becomes open to those outside of the First Landers like ourselves, we can expect a lot of confusion. The island will be full of wonderful questions such as “Where do I go to become a valuable member of society?” and “How do I establish myself as a respected Citizen?” These questions will of course fall side by side with “Hey guise how do i buy a rcket lancher and blow up da bank$$$?” All of these questions and more will be handled with my proposed Identity Education system. We have the opportunity within this community to do something entirely new and unique! We don’t have to push forward with the same old drudge of basic political drama and mudslinging, we can actually think together a system that strives for the betterment of the island as a whole, and not just a select group of individuals. Here I will present my plan in three overlapping arcs.

 

Identity will be FILLED to the brim once the island opens, so here is my three part plan on refining our most valuable resource. New Players. That’s right. The question slinging, bad mic wielding, 13 year olds who claim they have 15 years of RP experience and served in the military. Now, you may ask, “Gabe why on earth would I want this walking, talking ball of bad decision making to come bounding into my storefront asking for a job?” Well, I’m going to explain to you just why that is. While these players are characteristically immature and poor roleplayers it is important to remember that they still live on the island forever. A community of bumbling Neanderthals who don’t know their roleplaying bone from the hot lead that pours fourth from their shiny new pistol is not a community I want to live in. With that in mind, I introduce ARC 1 of my plan, Initiation.

 

Initiation will pay experienced players to act as a guide to the island! The new citizens may be taken in groups or as individuals on a personal tour of the basic activities and quality of life we enjoy here on the island, and explain to them the proper way to interact with others. This tour will be short but sweet, as engaged participants in the tour will receive a “grade” upon how well they handle the island and how ready they appear to be to enter Islander Life. This grade will follow a standard graded scale listing A-F with E being excluded. Willing participants in the tour will be compensated slightly upon completion, but the real reward will be in receiving their grade. Someone who is well spoken, with a clear and understandable voice, shows maturity, and can quickly grasp and understand the “feel” of our island will receive an “A” grading. Those who act immaturely, show little interest in learning or even understanding basic island laws, and those likely to quickly be on the wrong side of a server moderator Karma will receive lower grading such as an “F”. At this point you may be asking, “Possible Governor-Elect Gabe, why do we bother grading them? Is this going to be as pointless of a grade as that time my middle school Home Ec teacher gave me a B for not remembering to change my flour sack baby’s diaper for a week?” No. That grade was well deserved, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up too bad over it. But this grade has a very valuable point. New players can take their grade ‘To the bank!’ as they say and cash it in for a cushy job! This brings me to ARC 2 in my plan, Occupation.

 

Occupation will give players an official signet of their grade and allow them to show this to possible employers who will see that a player is either ready to enter into their particular line of work, or not. This plan will of course account for those who intend on following a less legal approach to earning a living, as possible employers of these bravado bandits can of course get some use out of knowing that the man delivering his “Chopped Oregano” to the back of Mick’s Warehouse is a quality individual and capable of handling basic instruction! Players can wear their rating as a badge of honor and a symbol of pride! Those who earn a less than reputable grade on their first arrival at the island can of course take the course again to improve their score, there is no fee for retrying the course. While it will be entirely up to the population of Identity to determine the validity of this score, the grading system offers newcomers a possible head start at proving their worth to their community. This leads us headlong into ARC 3, Inhabitation.

 

Inhabitation will deal with the process of ensuring our lovely new immigrant friends stay on the island! With an incentivized program that supports showing positive advancement in the community we can ensure that our newfound friends are here to stay! I would suggest a point reward system, so as not to flood the market with unnecessary cash funding. Players within their first month of stay on the island will be given “points” for making positive advancements in their life! A player who earns his first $1,000 can expect to earn a point on his “Identity Value” which is a score that will be tallied and hold weight within the new government. Did you get pulled over? Well, you can pay the fine (and do the time) for those three hulking kilos of pure Colombian Sugar in your trunk, OR you can expend a point! You get off scot free, but your drugs will still have to go with the boys in blue, sorry. Or maybe you are a startup business owner who isn’t quite sure if he’ll be able to pay rent on your shop this month…two points paid out to your local government may just get you out of the rent bill! The possibilities are endless with this model as to what earns points and what they can be used for. Now, you may say “Oh great and powerful Oz who is Gabe Garrison, our hero in a time of need, just how will these points improve immigrant retention? Won’t this system get tossed to the side as players do what they want? I don’t want to follow a guideline for how to live my life and you can’t make me!” That’s the fun! The point system will work much like an “achievement” that we see in modern video game culture today. With naturally occurring milestones (buying first vehicle, first paycheck, first nice suit, first court case avoided) will all be happy occurrences that earn points along the way. The new citizen will never feel pressured to earn these points to stay ahead of other members of the island, they will just be pleased to see that their production and continual path to becoming a person of good faith and advancement pays out in the island of Identity. With a continued joy and reward in doing the things they would normally do, we can expect player new citizen retention to be sensationally high, with a better quality of life for all those involved or around the program and the Island.

 

Now, all this is just one of my many ideas for improving Identity! I will not announce a formal running for a government position unless I see support from my fellow islanders, as I hope my idea gets put into place no matter who becomes the leader of Identity. If enough support is shown, I will announce my formal running and establish a proper campaign platform and political stance. I will likely run under a new party name. I have some great ideas for the Island of Identity, and I only hope that you will allow my ideas to affect your lives, wheather that be as your governor or as your fellow citizen. Thank you for your time and remember, Gabe Garrison: For an Identity with a Future.

(also looking for someone to do an illustration of my Three Arc’s as a flag; also looking for a running mate who shares my possible values, shoot me a message if you have anything to say about either!)

[JoelKeys 412]

@Herzog this guy seems like he would make an excellent addition to TGC. I would love to see you running for governor, you have my full support. I love this idea a lot.