Army hopping is a controversial topic in the army community. Some view it with negative points, whilst others keep their focus elsewhere. We dive into what keeps loyalty sticking in our communities, and what we can do to make our armies more welcoming for everyone.
Designed by Cassie
It is not uncommon to see members having more than one army history in their careers. This is especially true when spending more than a few years in the army community. But what about those who have chosen to stick with one army for most of their career? What can we figure out about the armies with the most loyal members?
When we see someone switch to an army after recently having been in another, we turn to judge them, or even question what went wrong behind the locked doors of that community. Although most of these controversies will later come out of the dark, there is always a good select few that will continue sticking around that army, despite what the situation is.
I went and scanned through specific army servers, armies that have been in the light for some time now and have a significant amount of members who have stuck with them as long as possible, and sat down one member from each one of these armies from one army to the next to learn their story, history, and to find out what it means to be a loyal member to your army, and for army leaders to help learn from outside of the leadership perspective on how to keep these loyal members by their side for more time to come.
How were you recruited? Was it off Discord, xat, a CPPS advertisement, etc?
Chey – I was recruited through the Club Penguin Rewriiten Server by Joel
Elsa – I found Templars through discord
Aurora – I was recruited from the CPO discord to Pirates in July 2019.
Steax – I got recruited off of cpr in february 2019 by silv!
Aleksandr – I was recruited through Discord, as I wasn’t playing any CPPS at that time.
How long have you been in your current army?
Chey – Since Marines merged with WV back in August 2020
Elsa – I’ve been in TCP for 4 years almost 5 years.
Aurora – I was in ACP for 2 years between November 2019 to December 2021. Then, I retired and returned to CPA for 5 months in Water Vikings. Then, I left for ACP in September 2023 and have been in ACP since.
Steax – I’ve been in rpf for almost 6 years now (wild) and haven’t joined any other ones yet (unless you count my brief april fools water viking enlistment)
Aleksandr – I’ve been into my current army for almost a year.
Were there any times when you thought about leaving? Examples such as during a specific leader’s retirement or a temporary shutdown of your army that lasted a couple of weeks or months?
Chey – Out of all those years I’ve only went on a 4 month leave for my mental health at the end of 2023 other then that I’ve mainly been here
Elsa – I only left once when RPF won a battle against TCP back in 2022, thanks to Xing bringing me back!
Aurora – I almost left last year because I was getting busy with school and wasn’t sure if another army would be better. I ended up not doing so since I wouldn’t have had the time.
Steax – I did retire in april of 2021 because of ap exams and school and such, but since rejoining in early 2023 I haven’t thought about leaving since 😀 (besides when i got framed for eating puffles)
Aleksandr – No.
What keeps you going to stay in your army? Is it the events, the people, or anything more than that?
Chey – I mainly stay for all the people that are like a second family here- WV for Life. Love you all! Plus I’m a Club Penguin addict!
Elsa – The people and the events!
Aurora – I’ve grown pretty attached to ACP over the years and I don’t think I could really start over completely in another army. While I liked WV, I don’t think I ever got as attached since I didn’t really connect to the history as much. I also know most people in ACP and have always gotten along with them pretty much. A more silly reason is that I want to continue collecting medals to beef up my roles. I’d miss out on those if I went anywhere else.
Steax – What keeps me in my army is definitely the people, i LOVE rpf and would never leave fr and ive made so many close friends so like it would feel weird leaving… but besides that I think I’m just very used to the way rpf works and how the server is structured and I would just be lost in another army
Aleksandr – The environment that is there keeps me in that army. Also, there are events that are quite fun sometimes.
Every army has established its own sense of loyalty over the years, and the individuals interviewed today exemplify the dedication that keeps an army running. Leaders often find it draining to see their members and staff leave, especially for other armies. By learning from their most loyal members, they can identify areas for improvement, strengthen loyalty within their ranks, and enhance their army overall.
In conclusion, loyalty remains in an army because of the people and the environment that shape the community, keeping long-term members engaged and contributing to its daily growth. Leaders who listen to their troops and staff take crucial steps toward maintaining a thriving community, especially during challenging times. What do you think helps loyalty thrive in Club Penguin Armies? Let us know!
Mabel
Reporter
Diwix
Managing Editor