plutocracy

Pronunciation:
(ploo-TOK-ruh-see)

Definition: (noun)
1. Government by the wealthy.
2. A country or state governed by the wealthy people.
3. Wealthy ruling class.

It is customary and usual to see threads and posts littered throughout the Power Soccer (PS) community expressing resentment, disdain and even malcontent toward those of us who are able to obtain things at a moment's notice because of the almighty currency of PS, power tokens (PTs). PTs grant us access to nicer shoes, tattoos that don't expire, coaches and player market items that do expire but can be renewed, and my personal favorite, the various hairstyles and facial hairs that can enhance your players' appearance. I've been trying to think for a while now how best to express my thoughts on this issue. I wanted to write a thread that would offend few, educate many and entertain all...

...obviously this thread will do none of those things to meet my goal. Nevertheless, I press onward to try and put into words what I feel is the core message of Power Soccer users over the last 6 months, especially, perhaps pre-dating even that timeframe. I do not mean to step over your boundaries as you have every right to share a different opinion than the perspective I provide below...I merely seek to encapsulate what I have picked up on as I watch the PS community's daily struggle.

I think it is best summed up by the following statement, spoken by a user who shall remain anonymous...

"I hated all the pay-for-rank players until my parents bought me 115 tokens and I was able to buy things. Suddenly I didn't mind it so much."

Isn't that really the heart of the matter? It's not that you're really that upset that someone bought 2 Sahlins, 1 Mbo, 2 Pedros, 2 Schulares and a pair of jabulani shoes. You're just upset that you can't (or aren't willing) to match them dollar for dollar, token for token. You can lie to yourself all you want, claim the sake of "honor and integrity" and act all holier-than-thou, but the truth hurts. If you could spend the same money as the #1 player in the world, you would.

Stepping outside of this for a moment, I want to use the example of a local government official in my area. During his early campaign, he preached how he would shake up the government's structure...he pledged to not accept a single penny from lobbying political groups...he promised to be transparent in his expenses and income. He was elected on this message and upon being given access to this "hidden wealth" in the government, became one of the most corrupt and money-grabbing politicians my area had ever elected to serve. It's wrong, right? It's wrong for such hypocrisy to exist in government officials...but the hypocrisy exists here, too, friends.

The hypocrisy of PS is that despite the outcry against the plutocracy basis for rank, new "converts" are made every day. Maybe you finally get a job or your parents decide to grant you a birthday gift and you have enough money to buy a token package, so you do it, but just once, right? I mean, it won't kill ya to buy a pair of shoes for your striker, maybe put a little Gladiator tattoo on your defender's arm, maybe even try out a coach, just to "see what it's like," right? And then, the next month comes and you have a little to spend and you figure, "Well, I won't buy that big package this time, I just need enough tokens to get another pair of shoes for my goalie." The ball starts rolling from there and suddenly, it's a line in your monthly budget. Granted, this scenario doesn't apply to most kids under 18, but you get my drift.

I know this will fall largely on deaf ears, but I say it's time for the hypocrisy to end. Just admit it to yourself, even if you won't admit it publicly and let's stop this whining once and for all relative to "who has spent the most" and let's focus our efforts on counter-acting those users who don't respect the game at all and exploit cheats and bugs. Let's band together under one flag, become one nation, even if it's still a plutocracy in the end...

Long Live the Revolution! Viva la Revolucion!

Another good thread by a good quality writer keepitloose. Nice job once again. =)

yes this a very good thread keepitloose

i dislike the link you made between rejecting some ideas and hypocrisy.

Some (few or more, you assumed they are few), are rejecting team boosters - no matter if they are on skin, or they are shoes, of wonder players, because they belive is not fair. bringing the word "hypocrisy" around their belief is offensive, in my opinion.

Our human culture as long as we know it preaches some values like courage, sincerity, loyalty, bla bla bla. Reading from Ramayana and Mahabharata to the most common propaganda writings, they are all preach the same values.

At the same time, the human culture claim some artifacts that are boosting one hero's attributes: excalibur, the holy graal, bla bla.

Was enkidu and ghilgames fair, using wonders to defeat their enemy? Yes, for a moral benefit
Was Achile and his king fair using a fake horse to break the walls of troia? Yes, :)) for the LOVE of elena :))
Were the templars fair robbing the middle east 900 years ago? yes, for the benefit of their god
and so on... any unfair thing have a moral stance.

Dont call the opposite's side opinion "hypocrisy". Any coin have 2 faces.
Thank you

You've made a great observation here Keepitloose. Its a human trait that seems to be constant across all levels of society and in all institutions. The parallels between Powersoccer issues and real life politics, classes and current affairs are endless.

In a similar way to some people who may not place any emphasis on say fashion and may actually ridicule people who do. When their peers begin to all start wearing the latest name brands and hairstyles, the pressure is placed on them to maybe start spending some extra on that department and forsaking their previous stance on the matter or risk being left behind in the peer group.

There are those here i guess that were just getting fed up with getting hammered by players with all the extras, seeing their RP lowering and perceived status in the game diminishing, that they were 'forced' to either leave or come up with the cash to become competitive. Even if that meant going against their core values, morals, or earlier wishes.

They weigh up the triangular Cost vs Benefit vs Loss of Face Risk scale and make a decision. Ego and peer pressure are powerful things.

Thanks for the thread KIL but I'm also on the other side.
I would like to win because of pure skills and be beaten because my skills were lower. I can understand even losing cause my luck is worse than opponents.


Seriously, some items are OK (like shoes with a slight bonus) and don't make you gain that much.
But several items (jabus and all the players among others) are as for me WAY to powerful and give too big advantage. Therefore I'm never going to use them.

Is it hipocrisy if I think (type) that many people win many games because of their powertokens?
Sorry, it's reality. They have a feature another one has not. I can compare it to having a more powerful rifle and a hemlet, a kevlar vest at a battlefield.
You have them, you are more likely to survive even if you are a worse soldier than the enemy.

If you have never thought like this you are probably lying to yourself.

Am I the only one that got lost from the thread’s and replies’ contents? Seriously guys, barring none, can you please speak in simpler English as I have the desire to follow this, as it seems, interesting discussion, or is it only for educated people supporters of plutocracy?

Sorry, but my English is really poor, and especially when I see complicated rarely used in conversations words.

By the way, the only message I understood is that a coin has two sides, which, by the way, isn’t much of an achievement... we all can see that on a coin, can't we?

You just proved his message. You have not tried them, nor you will, so you think you have the right to say they are unfair (quote below states you said this.)


Now to the thread itself. Marvelously written, I don't think anyone could have said it any better. Everyone says it's unfair (I did myself) until they try it all. Once they try it, they love it. Once they love it, they can't stop using it. That is basically what happened to me... Although I don't like to waste money on the game... I do come up with money every now and then to buy myself 80tokens (a 55 and 25 token package) and I am so grateful that I get that opportunity. I have many Mbo's on my second account, and I love them because they give me what I need to win. Is it unfair that I spent $15 on Mbo's? I think not. It isn't even that much money, and practically anyone can come up with that if they save up for a month. $.50 a day isn't much, at all.

The items are not unfair... People just like to complain!

A good thread with a very strong message. I strongly agree with you. We tend to be jealous of what other have and might tend to judge the item to be unfair but once we have the item,thing change and we instead deemed the idea to be fair again

i think that some of KiL's original meaning was misinterpreted. he doesn't think that the act of using the enhancers is hypocritical in and of itself; rather, that to have complained about them one day and then bought them as soon as the opportunity presents itself is. that's a legitimate point.

of course, what KiL and his ilk think is probably not as important as RP if you swing that way.

As a wise Chat Admin once told me in a match; "I only complain when I lose". I think this has the same relative meaning as the point KiL is trying to make.

wow nice thread KiL really liked it it seriously has got a message in there but sometimes hypocrisy does exist in us i feel we should feel saying he got shoes he got coaches etc or so...and sometimes whenever you have everything you tend have some kind of ego and you loose the "fair play" i have seen a couple of users like that with no intention of fair play..but on a serious note everyone should learn from that.

At the risk of seeming like I'm taking a shot in the dark, I want to clarify what seems to be the most common misunderstanding so far in the replies...





I am not saying it's hypocrisy just to believe that people who spend tokens have an unfair advantage. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion on these users. What I am saying, however, is that the most common hypocrisy in Power Soccer is someone who believes those items are unfair until they get them. If you believe they're unfair and you'll never ever buy them, that's a thing of beauty. However, if you get on a soapbox about those users just because you don't have what they have, only to change your tune once you get a chance to have it...this is hypocrisy at its core.

Hope that clears the post up a bit.

I'll have to concur with andreiradan and 0tomek. I do not believe in plutocracy whether it occurs in a video game or in our various societies.

Winning with skills however needs to once again become more prevalent in the powersoccer society as it has aberrated over the years. It is eccentric to find any soccer game with a goal of realism that encourages its users to purchase any commodity in relation to skill boosting primarily when the boosts are in ludicrous and unrealistic amounts.

Yea, Mbo's are now limited to one a team, however that does not eliminate the fact that people can still buy 2 schulares for every one of their players on the field. Playing people whose teams are permeated with coaches irritates me. I don't have a problem with playing them, but when they decide to run down the field with a speed infested player, lacking creativity and originality, i lose all respect for them and where they stand in the PS community.

I read a post in general discussion called "Research on Mbo", the thread elaborates on how essential coaches are to the top 10 nowadays. Now, here's the real question: Is buying your way to #1 in the world truly an achievement?

What do you truly gain at the end of the day, OR what WILL you truly gain 5 years from now when you might have quit Powersoccer and moved on to other things in life, and you look back on your PS expenses and you realize how much you spent on the game? And not just on the game, but on coaches, simply because you were lost in your lust for rank points? I mean how old are we on here that we still find it necessary to be the best at a video game? I am in no way downplaying spending money on PS, but avoid doing it, unless of course if you're doing it for the right reasons.

Think about it for your self.

A totally amazing thread. Very convincingly argued. So convincing that I'm almost put off critiquing it (I disagree with the theme).

Anyway I'll be foolish and try:



One of my arguments is against this. The above is a false statement. I can spend the money, but I don't. I do not believe I am alone, there are a handful of people who dont spend even though it is in their capability, because they dislike these items on principle.

However my main objection is against the idea that everyone who complains about the items whilst using them is a hypocrite. Many users are forced into purchasing items. If enough people buy items out of their free-will those who dislike them still have to buy them to be competitive. Take this example: you happen to be a natural top 10 player and enjoy your official matches. However out comes these items, those around you make use of them and spoil your fun. You are therefore forced to buy them as well, whilst disliking them.

Say there is a man who is anti-guns, but once when his children are in danger a gun is placed in his hands and he uses it. Would you call him a hypocrite? I would not.

I think it is grossly unfair to to say that the majority of antipathy towards purchasable items is due to jealousy. To brush off legitimate complaint and serious debate as merely envy is not only unfair, but ignorance. The situation is multi-dimensional and not single-faceted as you have shown. There is more to it than jealousy when token-less and hypocrisy when rich.

To clear something up: I have tried out the jabulanis and tested them. I found out they were too powerful and were making an outrageous 200% growth in my scored goals.
I still think they are too powerful and give an unfair advantage.
I haven't tried mbos as I'm playing to have fun. The "too big boosters" kill the fun.

well written, Completely agree with you there.

Would I myself spend money on coaches and hybrids to gain an advantage if I had money to spare?

No. Sure I'll use the CM coaches, why not, they are there for all CM's and I don't mind being at the level of all the other CM's. Would I buy all hybrids and place coaches on all of them? No. I firmly believe that's a bit too much to keep the balance of the game level. However, I don't mind playing them, as they are bringing revenue to the game. Who knows, that money could be being used to improve the game, make it better, etc. I guess I'm a far-sighted kind of fellow, and I don't mind having a vastly unbalanced game level now if it means changes in the future.

Your thread strikes a cord, for surely I am hypocritical in similar things all the time. This thread smacks of the song Yeah Yeah Yeah by the Flaming Lips. What would I do with all the power? I'd like to think I'd uphold my principles, but I suppose the most honest answer would be I am not 100% sure I could. Just not quite sure. Another reason added to revenue to not judge those taking advantage of a built in game feature negatively.

I commend you on your thread! It surely is a goo discussion bringer.

Not gunna lie, when I bought my 115 tokens it really helped me. With a CM and a bunch of shoes, I was definitely improved. I don't care about users using regular items, but its the coaches that get to me. But there are some things that users hate when they see their opponents have them.

For example, take the recent outburst at the M'bo. Yes it increases your skill by a lot. But what do users say when they see a M'bo? Whey immediately assume he is a cheater.

Mo' money mo' problems.

Amazing thread mate, you really made a good job, so many rich words, very good point!

I have totallyy bought my fair share of PT. However, I haven't bought anything that is considered a bug or cheat, because I don't want to be that kind of player. People have said jubas and Mbos are bugs and cheats, so I don't use those because people just get mad and wail on me saying "111! bugger! cheater!" and I don''t like that at all. I have used my PT for shoes and stuff, but never somthing like that. I haven't bought coaches, I've bought CM and used the coaches there. I still didn't use the jubas.

This was an inspiring thread. I can really tell that you worked hard on it, every word is precise, and I'm not sure whether you had to crack open a dusty thesaurus or you've done this so many times that you now have a dictionary implanted in your brain, but that was wonderful, KiL.

I'd like to add that it seems like nowadays that you have to cheat or buy tons of everything to win. I don't like what PS is turning into. I hope it changes for the better (people still buying stuff, but not playing cheap and unfair) soon.

Still, very good point, coach. I loved the read.

Well an amazing thread gets an amzing star, well done newest 99er, aka keepitloose!

I agree with some of what you wrote and congratz on the SOTW, but I don't agree with all of what you wrote, far from it.

The main bit I disagree with is: "If you could spend the same money as the #1 player in the world, you would."

No I would not. I currently have 29 powertokens on me and I don't spend them on the items that I complain about. I disagree with teams having effectively clones of players. However, I do not think that one of a player on a team is a bad thing. Therefore, if I want to, I will buy one of a player, as I have done in the past. What i disagree with is where teams have 4, 5, 10 of the same player. You don't see me and a large amount of others spending my power tokens on that (I am able to spend more money on buying tokens should I want to) and other things that other people disagree on.

I coudl write a lot more on this but will stop with just that point.

s0meb0dy is right...I feel as if I just entered NASA. Thread moved to Vatican Library. :) Excelent job Keepitloose I really want to congratulate you!

That was the most epic thread I've ever read because it made me realize that with power comes a LOT of responsibility. Most can't handle this responsibility. I would buy a ton of things if I had the money (which I don't--thanks college). Most of the top 100 got to be in the top 100 because they had the money to get there. I am not spending money (sorry crew) on this game. The help you can get with CM and tokens is a stupendous wonder.

Merci for the brilliant read, keepitoose!

Mme. Rougette