[Beyond the Borders] Covering the IRC's Journey






Covering the IRC's Journey
Beset by Past and Present Challenges, the IRC Works to Find Its Footing

Written by Le Libertie



On April 8, Vice President Istillian proclaimed the opening of the Inter-Regional Chat (IRC). “It's been a long time coming,” Istillian began, later stating that the board voted unanimously in favor of the decision. The vice president provided a link detailing the structure of the discord server and a join link enabling citizens to immediately participate in the space alongside the cheerful announcement.

As the vice president implied, the opening follows a long and considerably bumpy journey for the Inter-Regional Chat. Former President Pichtonia first brought the IRC to the public’s attention with his announcement to the Senate on February 4. But it was later revealed that the initial idea of IRC began during the term of president Sopo two terms earlier. Pichtonia argued that the IRC was an opportunity for “creating a safe and enjoyable inter-regional platform for social activity on discord, the terms of which we have a say in.” The former president presented a rough outline of what the IRC could look like if implemented and welcomed questions, emphasizing that the IRC would bring unique benefits to the region. Pichtonia identified former President Peeps as being at the forefront of the initiative, “helping bring this together and crafting the language of the above agreement.”

One emerging theme in discussing the IRC was how it would contrast from the already-existing NationStates Gameplay (NSGP) discord server. In the Senate discussion, Senator Calvin Coolidge pondered whether the IRC would be considered a rival to NSGP. Others holding a more moderate view, such as citizen Kazaman, posited that the IRC might be “a good counterpoint or alternative” rather than “direct competition” with the NSGP server in his Grand Hall post.

Though most citizens maintained a fairly positive outlook towards the potential agreement, some questions lead to pressing concerns about the IRC. The most notable of these concerns included the degree of representation Europeia would receive in IRC moderation, the level of safety that could be maintained in a diverse, populated server, and the political benefits Europeia would receive by participating in the server. In the process of this questioning, a specific suggestion was pushed by then-Senator Calvin Coolidge that Europeia be guaranteed a moderation position that would be reflected in the IRC's charter. Following a language update in the IRC’s structuring, Pichtonia asserted that the Senate’s concerns would be discussed in the negotiations.

Despite these assurances, it was later revealed that some of the suggestions of Europeian senators were not brought into discussion in the IRC negotiations, as Pichtonia had previously implied. This resulted in a largely unchanged treaty being presented to the Senate by the recently-elected President Calvin Coolidge. Although a new wave of criticism and controversy followed this revelation, most felt that it would be best to move forward with the agreement, even if perceived flaws in the IRC’s structure remained. “It is important to acknowledge the mistakes that have been made in the process of creating this agreement,” then-Speaker UPC expressed, but added, “it is also important that we not allow those mistakes to ruin a good thing.” On March 19, the treaty was ratified by the Senate unanimously.

Today, the IRC is finally open to all members. “It has been such a delight to see so many Europeian's engage in discussion and banter with our friends from across the NationState's globe,” the VP declared in his statement expressing what he saw as good signs already present in the chat’s beginnings. Peeps has been elected as the Chairperson of the IRC Board, with Europeian citizens Malashaan, NES, and Istillian serving as either administrators or moderators, amongst 9 others. Most Europeians appeared to strongly approve of these selections.

Yet not everyone is pleased with the IRC’s first steps. Another controversy beset the IRC after questioning by citizen HEM revealed that there were no restrictions on which players could join the chat. “I don't think there is a level of control over which players join,” VP Istillian admitted. Instead of a proactive system of filtering out potentially harmful players before they can enter the IRC server, moderators will operate on a reactive system in which members are removed only after submitted challenges to a player’s membership status or evidence of a player’s offenses in violation of stated IRC rules.

Responses from Europeians varied from intense disapproval to mild dismay. Many felt that without a system of regional control over the entrance of members, little would differentiate the IRC from the NSGP server. Since the beginning of the discussions on the IRC, it was assumed by many that this policy would be a critical aspect of the IRC and be readily adopted in the server's entrance system. But in being outvoted by non-Europeian members, a majority of the IRC board initially opted not to include a region-based member restriction.

President Calvin Coolidge assured citizens that this policy omission would not be taken lightly. “We will be bringing this up to that Board, and making our case once again while stressing the importance of this matter to our region,” he announced. Many citizens were comforted by this statement and felt that despite the IRC’s unfavorable entrance policy, Europeia’s deep investment in the project called for continued engagement.

While the Inter-Regional Chat has already undergone a long path in its development from an unrefined idea to a tangible project, it is clear that its journey is far from over. The IRC has experienced communication issues, adopted unpopular policy decisions, and maintained a somewhat veiled decision-making process. Yet despite it all, most hold immense hope for the ambitious project, driven by the potential for improvement and optimism in connecting players across the NationStates sphere.
 
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