Saturday, June 25, 2011

Jamaali Inequality

Hello everyone.
This is a 'lecture' that I have been collecting research for over a few months. Note that data on items is based on the PRESENT TIME, as in June 23rd to July 7th (according to newspaper dates; really June 24th to July 8th).

Jamaali Inequality
A Lecture by Woodswolf about the Unequivalence of Jamaalian Society
Part One: 1984
When you think of Jamaa, what comes to mind first? I think of the Member Party.
Now, I doubt that anyone listening to or reading this has ever read 1984 by George Orwell, but if you have, please explain what the plot is about. If you haven't, read below.
The story of 1984 is about a man by the name of Wilson who is stuck in a totalitarian society that 'worships' their leader, BB or Big Brother. He and his friend Julia break many rules. They're punished. It's a good book; I would recommend it, and it is required in many school districts.
One of the major things in the book is the idea of 'The Party', the single political party that rules the nation. Its political system is very similar to communism, Nazism, fascism, and many other types of government underneath the 'umbrella of totalitarian similarities'. The people who are not in the Party are treated as 'less than human' creatures, very similar to the way African-Americans were treated for almost 200 years in America, and possibly a bit more.
Now, think about Animal Jam. There are the Members, the Great Center Party, that gets everything they could ever dream of from AJ HQ, and the Non-Members are treated like they're 'less' than them, as if they're not 'real' players.
This is the same way in many games with membership or 'pay currencies' that get you extra things, but Animal Jam by far is the most extreme that I know of. For example, I have taken an item count of things available to members and non-members. This includes pets, den items, clothing, dens, animals, etc., but only things you can currently buy (Note that non-member items are counted in the member count, as they can buy them):

Member Things: 231
Non-Member Things: 83
For Every Non-Member Thing, There Are: 2 + 65/83 Member Items

That equates to almost 3 member items for every one non-member item! And if we don't count animals, the statistics are just as bad:

Member Things: 224
Non-Member Things: 82
For Every Non-Member Thing, There Are: 2 + 60/82 Member Items

Part Two: THE LAW
Non-Members also have many restrictions on 'how they can live'. This is called (or at least I call it/nicknamed it) THE LAW.
THE LAW
I. Non-Members Cannot Have More Than Two Animals.
II. Non-Members Cannot Have Member-Only Animals.
III. Non-Members Cannot Buy Member Clothing.
IV. Non-Members Cannot Wear Member Clothing.
V. Non-Members Cannot Change Clothing Colors.
VI. Non-Members Cannot Buy Member Furniture.
VII. Non-Members Cannot Place In Their Dens Member Furniture.
VII. Non-Members Cannot Purchase Extra Dens.
IX. Non-Members Cannot Customize Their Nametags.
X. Non-Members Cannot Receive Jam-A-Gram Gifts.
XI. Non-Members Cannot Receive Member Achievements.
XII. Non-Members Cannot Have Pets.
XIII. Non-Members Cannot Use Member Emoticons.

I'm not sure how many I have missed in that list, and some are 'similar', like, for example, I and II. Chances are there may be other pieces of THE LAW that no one is aware of yet...?

Part Three: Into The Future
Many months (and possibly years) from now, what I see is one of several things.

I. AJ is taken offline (permanentely).
II. AJ turns into a pay-to-play game (like WoW (World of Warcraft)) because they get greedy.
III. AJ is more equal; Membership becomes a subtler quality, but is still there.

Let me explain these three, and how (at least one way) they would come to be.

I. AJ is taken offline (permanentley). This could happen in any number of ways. The first would be that it would have little or no membership money coming in, and would have to shut it down. Another would be that all the members lose their membership, but don't bother to buy it back because they quit or something. A third would be that it goes offline for the peace of the world, because of a reign of scammers, hackers, and protesters (member and non-member alike) asking for rights (see III).
II. AJ turns into a pay-to-play game (like WoW (World of Warcraft)) because they get greedy. The answer is in the question. AJ gets REALLY greedy and decides to not let 'vermin' (non-members) play at all.
III. AJ is more equal; Membership becomes a subtler quality, but is still there. THIS WOULD HAPPEN BY PROTESTS! GET ACTIVE! SCREAM AND SHOUT! YOUR CAUSE IS IMPORTANT! SHORT SENTENCES ONLY! DON'T FORGET EXCLAMATION POINTS! AND DO IT IN ALL CAPS! PROTEST! PROTEST! PROTEST... You get the idea. If you protest for rights, you may get some! Look at rights in America, for example. Women! Native Americans! African Americans! They all got their rights by protesting non-violently. If we can achieve the same energy and the same mass, they'll give in. If we do nothing, this situation's reverse, II, will happen. I personally hope that we can achieve III without one of the other two happening first.

No matter what happens, we can be sure of one thing: Things will be different, whether we like it or not, whether it's good or bad, whether it hurts or helps. But because of current actions, some things may soon be unavoidable. So do what you want! Have all the fun you could ever desire, for you don't have all the time in the world. Things will change. And if we don't stop inequality now, someday, it could be you.
Thank you.

19 comments:

  1. *aupplose*
    EXACTLY! Though I think the member situation is much better than Club Penguin, where you cant:
    Play certain levels of games
    Buy any clothes(execpt the free things they'll sometimes give out at parties)
    Go on quests or certain activities
    The only thing where I think Club Penguin is better is that THEY LET YOU HAVE TWO PETS!
    Members seem pretty nice on AJ..
    But AJ needs to respect the non members more! We want pets! We want different dens! Im part of the protest....though members, we arent protesting agaisnt you, we're protesting against AJ.
    (End of my rant:)

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  2. Great um thing woodswolf I totolly agree Martain Luther king did everything non-vioently which means I may have to change a little as you know I cuss a lot and get angry verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyy fast but I believe in this totolly but I may not pertecipate... sorry Lots of stuff spelled wrong!

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  3. @ Jindo:
    It's good SOMEONE out there gets my point! They need to respect us in some fashion! Sure, they 'let us buy suckish clothes and petty few den items and have two animals', but nothing much else.
    For some people (members especially... the ones that got membership right before their BETA one ran out) this is a real wake-up call. And even if they waited a few MONTHS, it wouldn't have been this bad.
    Is CP decent, BTW? I've seen it suggested in many places... and if you're looking for a good game with less important/no membership, try:
    Free Realms (freerealms.com)(vauge membership, barely remember it's there)
    FeralHeart (feral-heart.com)(no membership)
    The Endless Forest (tale-of-tales.com/TheEndlessForest)(no membership)
    Another plus is that all of these games are 3D. I've tried all of them. They're awesome! FeralHeart and The Endless Forest are animal games, and Free Realms you may have seen TV ads for, and is really fun.
    (End of my reply XD)

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  4. @ Tigerstripe:
    Well, Martin Luthor King Jr. was very mad. They were all very mad. They just didn't explode XD
    And with swearing... just sensor it, like this:
    AJ IS RUN BY ********.

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  5. Wcc Mod bunnylove3June 25, 2011

    Nice "speech" Just in time for Fourth of July =)

    We need some freedom in animal jam!!
    Aj has all this patriotic stuff set up but they are HIPPOCRATES.They are celebrating freedom and they dont give non members any.

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  6. @ bunnylove:
    Yes! Nice word choice, too! I would have gone with a nice string of swear words such as:
    AJ IS RUN BY ****ING FAT SLIMY *****ES THAT LIKE TO TAKE MONEY FROM LITTLE KIDS! **** THEM!
    And I know! It's pathetic! At least they didn't make it member stuff. That would have been awful!

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  7. Something I emailed to AJ HQ.
    -
    Well finally this update non-members got some stuff.Otherwise members get it all!Everyone was excited pets were coming.But the day they DID come,non-members were sad and angry that members got pets.Most members brag.Or they just just don't say a thing.You know?They should at LEAST let each non member have a pet.A pet of any kind!Animal Jam has given everything to members!But really,give the non-members some slack!They want pets too!
    -
    They still haven't replied but It might take a while. ) : <

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  8. It's not as extreme as:
    A) Club Penguin
    B) Moshi Monsters
    In CP, nonmembers are practically dirt.
    Nonbemers get don't get to:
    A) Buy clothes/furniture (except for the occasional free things)
    B) Go on quests (sometimes they'll let you do a certain part, and then not let you finish!)
    C) Customize your igloo.
    D) Play Fire/Water Card Jitsu
    On Moshi Monsters, it's the samr almost. Nonmembers don't get to:
    A) Go to certain lands (or stores)
    B) Have as much stuff (Many shops are member)
    C) Have moving furniture.
    D) Send gifts.
    E) Only two moshling (Members get unlimited! At least AJ has a limit to make it kind of fairer.)
    F) Change colors!!!

    Oh, and CP isn't very decent unless you're a member. otherwise, it's pretty bad. Way less fair.
    Good speech, by the way.

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  9. I understand completely! They just want money! Not everyone can afford membership! I remember when nonmembers could change the color of clothes... And the "monthly gift"! It just torments and makes everyone sad that they will never ever be able to accept the gift! I see members talking to nonmembers, rubbing in their face that they can't buy pets... Those poor innocent people... How would you like to be made fun of because you can't get something? I am a member, and I still don't think any of this is fair! They should treat everyone equal! Not just the people that pay them! Do you know what I do? I go around with differently colored items, and accept any trade for them, so the nonmembers can get the colors they want! With my own gems! EVERYONE in AJ wanted pets! And now 95% of those people are very upset... Is that what AJ wants!? All of the cool stuff is for members only! How could they?

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  10. Yeah... Non members can't even have epic dens.. You know, AJ is starting to become a piece of **** to non members. It is gonna be one day like Club Penguin.. What if the new land is for MEMBERS ONLY! Only members get gifts from AJ HQ?! Why can't all jammers have it since it's a special gift!? In the last news,it said pets are coming. And ALL jammers read the news paper. INCLUDING NON MEMBERS! And that got ALLL jammers excited. INCLUDING NON MEMBERS. Then.. BOOOOOOOOOOOM! MEMBERS ONLY! In the news it says..

    These playful pets are available for the Members of Animal Jam Club. Being able to collect cute and fun pets is just one of the reason why being an Animal Jam Club is so great!


    Okay, right there, Being a member of the Animal Jam club is so great.
    Okay treating members like kings and queens and loyal people. And.. EVERY JAMMER MATTERS! So why do only the MEMBERS get treated so awesome and great? CAUSE THAT'S THE WAY ANIMAL JAM PEEPS ARE!

    @ Jindo

    I agree! Club penguin lets you ahve at least two pets, AJ. NONE. What if AJ becomes WORSE the Club Penguin?

    @ Bunnylove3

    YEAH! NON MEMBERS NEED FREEDOM TO HAVE STUFF LIKE MEMBERS!!

    @ BlossemBerryFlower

    Yeah.. I have seen that many times..I am a member, I am still upset that no members cant do anything.. I do see members fighting with non members saying stuff like, "WERE BETTER THEN YOU CAUSE WE ARE MEMBERS AND WE GET WAY MORE STUFF! ANIMAL JAM LIKES US MORE THEN YOU!", And that is mean..
    That's why I am quitting when my membership runs out. AJ is super mean. I wish they didn't make members and non members. I mean, PAYING for stuff that is fake? That is a waste of money. Why can't it be free? It's only a game.

    @ EVERYONE

    I was just snooping around AJ and I found out that they are making MEMBER news letters soon! If you want more info I will post about it if it is okay with woodswolf.

    @ Woodswolf

    Is it okay if I post about somthing I found out?


    PRINCESS TINY WOLF,

    OUT

    Bai :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Another 12-page comment XD
    @ Darling:
    That's exactly right!
    And you realize that if you don't pose as a parent they won't reply. If you know the parent account password (or, like me, you run it yourself, or you don't know it but your parents will let you) submit a help ticket. Here's that translated into 'parent talk' (select one when there's a choice):
    My son/daughter recently got in-game to find that the pets that she had been obsessing over ended up being members only. She/He didn't like that, because when her/his membership runs out, she won't be able to have her pets anymore. Many of her buddies are angry about this, and she's seen many members bragging about them all over the place. She/He said to me that 'Animal Jam is getting just as bad as Club Penguin!'. Club Penguin is a game that she/he used to play that treated non-members very badly, with the only things they really got were two pets and an avatar.
    (This next part is the seller... this will show them. Don't include these parentheses!)
    Also, I think the focus of the game is drifting more from learning about plants and animals to membership and 'having the newest and best stuff'. I let my daughter/son play Animal Jam thinking that it would not lose focus on that one goal: to educate kids while letting them have fun. Unfortunately, it has, and she/he is quitting after her membership expires.
    Note that I added some stuff. I pulled off of others' comments and combined it all into one thing. Just use the parts you want to. This will probably work for any of you... but please note to change the words around a bit if you do so. If you want me to 'generate' you your own ticket, just comment :)
    @ Silverstorm:
    Whoa... BOTH of those games sound like trash.
    Well, AJ is getting there, you have to admit. What is it with games with membership anyway? I mean seriously?
    If you want to try a game with 'transparent' membership, try Free Realms (freerealms.com). You still see it everywhere... but you can ignore it, unlike with AJ where you see a 'Join the Club!' box right below the game window. Also, it's not a download. It's a 'browser game' that has its own special window.
    @ Blossom:
    It's good to know there are good people in the world still (AJ HQ! Hmph!). But a way to make the 'monthly gift' less tempting... just ask your mom what that is. But don't tell her you're talking about AJ's 'monthly gift'.
    Yeah. Nasty. Please do not mention what it is in the comments.
    @ Tinywolf:
    I know... You're right on all those points. AJ will get greedier... eventually it will be so unfair it will almost be pay-to-play.
    The irony is that the 'Every Jammer Matters!' thing was right next to the 'Pet Preview!' in the newspaper! What a disgrace!
    And I agree. It's a waste of money to really invest in membership; it doesn't grow in value over time or anything.
    BUT... on the game I mentioned earlier, Free Realms... they have LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP. As in once you get that membership offer (It's $35 compared with AJ's $50 YEAR) and it never runs out. And they get WAY more than just a money bonus for getting membership. They get gift packs every month, a bigger house (for FREE), unlock new job levels, get to do all quests... the list goes on and on.
    Also, I'd be fine with it. I'm fine with anyone posting anything they find out (as long as it's not profane or 'X-rated').

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  12. @WoodsWolf
    LOL They just replied.And I put it in kid form.Cause I added a bit to it...Well here's what I found in my inbox this morning:
    Hello Darling SnowyPaw ,

    Thank you for contacting Animal Jam Support Headquarters!

    We understand that many players in Animal Jam do not have memberships-- and that can be difficult sometimes. There is a lot of hard work that goes into making Jamaa! Did you know that it is the support of our Club Members that helps keep Animal Jam up and running for everyone to enjoy? Without members, there could be no Jamaa.

    We are happy to tell you that you can continue to play Animal Jam for free, FOREVER! So can your friends! There is no charge to continue playing Animal Jam. As a jammer, you’re still free to enjoy all of the following features and more.

    * Mini-Games
    * Coral Canyons’ Art Studio
    * Safe Chat
    * Official Jamaaliday Events
    * National Geographic Movie Bytes
    * Fun Factoids

    Since your friends love playing in Jamaa and would love to be able to go on more super fun adventures as well as care for pets, they might want to think about purchasing a Club Membership. If they want to know more about the different kinds of memberships and their prices, they can go to: http://www.animaljam.com/membership.

    Club Memberships are available to players who would like to purchase a subscription. In order to thank them for their generosity in helping us keep Animal Jam around, we make more features available to them. Those who purchase a membership get:

    * More animal den choices! Collect them all!
    * Exclusive furniture and clothing items!
    * More than 2 animal characters to customize!
    * Early access to important news, like special event announcements!
    * Pets!

    If you want to know more about the different kinds of memberships and their prices, please go to: http://www.animaljam.com/membership.

    We hope this information helps and we welcome you to contact us again if you have any more questions.

    All the best and play wild!

    Animal Jam HQ
    I don't think they got my point...

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  13. @ Woodswolf

    Thanks :) It will be up around 1:00 hopefully :)

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  14. @Woodswolf:
    Yep...this is sorta just the last straw, not letting us even have ONE pet.....AJ better be gettin' the message!>( Thanks for the game links...I'll check em out :)
    @ Blossom Berryflower
    Yep, AJ is torturing non members with the monthly gift thing. They send it out to EVERYONE, and then they say you cant recieve your lava glove!!
    @ Silverstorm:
    I havent tried Moshi Monsters, but I know Club Penguin has absoultly no respect towards non members. They're just sorta outrageous with their membership stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  15. fla50centkidJune 27, 2011

    Woodswolf i have to say that you hit the piont head on! I totally get what you are saying! Us non members need to have a say! Me and my friend are protesting in jamma and maybe you could help us? (i dont think only 2 people can change AJHQ`s mind) Also ive taken matters into my own hands too bye sending emails to AJHQ. But so far they arent getting my piont but, i will keep trying! AS NONMEMBERS NEED A SAY TOO!! Anyways if you want too help me and my friend my user is fla50centkid (im a girl my cuzin made the accout then gave it too me) and my favorit server is ALDAN (lots of people go there) so add me please im a big fan of ur blog! :)
    -fla50centkid

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  16. @Jindo
    I know! CP is awful! I'm a nonmember too! At least AJ has some respect towards nonmembers!

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  17. @ Tinywolf:
    Okay!
    @ Jindo:
    Yes... FR is very good... it's a '3-D AJ'. The other two are really animal games though.
    @ 50cent:
    I'd be glad to join your protest! Want some tips? Here are main ones:
    1. Protest in a place with LOTS of people.
    2. Never stop! Keep going! Fill yourself with your cause!
    3. SHOUT IN ALL CAPS TO GET PEOPLE'S ATTENTION!
    4. Dance, hop, or do some other crazy action that gets you seen in the crowd.
    5. Get a large crowd of supporters shouting with you. The larger the better.
    Thanks, BTW! =D

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  18. @ Darling:
    They did not get your point.
    They're arrogant...
    Just let them light the fuse...
    That is connected to all of the nuclear weapons that will explode in their faces...
    And die...
    And burn...
    And die some more with the 'I told you so!' hanging over their heads...
    PLUS! I got FH to work again! XD

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  19. I know of another good non download browser game... It's called Kung Fu Panda World. Spino11 and GreatShot informed me of it. It has a basically transparent membership and like everything is for NMs! I think there are a few Mem-only levels but all the rest is NM!

    ReplyDelete

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