It’s surely a curiosity to all of you how people, mostly high-ranking individuals, leave their lives outside CPA. How does it affect their lives? What is their daily routine based on? In this personal opinion post, we discuss the real-life experiences of some of the most well-known people in CPA and how it might have helped shape their lives.
Designed by Master DS
The Hidden Perspective
Every single one of you reading this post has thought about it. Are they just an addict? What life do they have outside their army? You might think a leader or admin has given their whole youth. While that might be true, it might not always be that way. A prime example is you. Whatever major army you are in, you will see your leaders giving it their all. They seem on 24/7. They urge you to recruit and help in any simple way you can. But you always ask one thing. What does that leader do behind the scenes? Curiosity hits most when that leader is well known. Everyone likes him because he VCs a lot or is simply a cool leader in his own way. What about admins? What about former admins or active staff? You surely think the same thing if you are on that team. What does that admin do? What is the behind-the-scenes like? If you continue reading, you will see it all. This post is unique. It aims to provide you with information about the topic. If you enjoy reading and want to see the guests and answers, continue reading.
CPA Nostalgia
Being part of this community makes us incredibly lucky. No matter how much you age, Club Penguin defines your childhood. Whether it was the original game or modern private servers, the impact is undeniable. Recalling those days brings intense nostalgia. You remember waking up at 5:00 AM just to attend a scheduled battle. Or you, the leader who felt immense power leading your army toward a hard-fought victory. Even those who joined between 2020 and 2022 crave that specific era. Its greatness stemmed from a harsh reality: genuine rivalry. Intense friction between armies fueled the community’s spirit. Some call this toxic, but it is essential. Armies can be friendly behind the scenes, but war requires propaganda. “Friendly alliances” between major powers often feel hollow and stagnant. Alliances should serve a singular purpose: strategic warfare. They should exist to conquer, not to provide a comfortable place to relax. Tension makes the game worth playing. And what major armies are doing is creating more and larger holes than they realize.
If we look at how 99.9% of people are spending their lives today—living their lives because of the expectations or pressures of family and society, and people around them telling them how to live, what job to take, how to operate, where to live, and who to be—at the end of the day, if you zoom out really far and think about what is actually important, we see many people living extremely sad existences because what they are doing is draining their soul, taking away from who they actually are in this world. If we relate this to the current state between major armies, it’s the simple fact that they are just too “nervous” to make a move. That should not be the case. If you are a major army leader reading this, you define this community’s future. The section that follows mentions the most well-known people who lived the great era. Ultimately, keep reading for further details.
Club Penguin Armies interviewed several key figures, including CPA admin Jojo Teri, former administrator Mare, Templars creator and Major Army Legend Xing, CPA Managing Editor Fun X Time, and Club Penguin Army Battleground’s Creator Superhero123. Our goal was to gather all sides of the story, and we will present their responses along with further analysis.
What is the best part of CPA for you?
Jojo teri: Over the time I have enjoyed different parts of CPA. My interests have shifted after fully focusing to being in organisations, having been an army leader for a while. I enjoy providing posts to the army community, mainly opinion and data analysis ones, like shown with the Top Ten of the Season. I also like talking with people from various armies, or veterans in the community chat. So yea I believe CPA itself is the best part of the armies and I like administrating it. Providing the community with posts, tournaments, community events and making sure everyone has a good time as much as possible.
Mare: One of the best parts of CPA is meeting people from all over the world. It’s so cool learning about how differently everyone lives. For example, Regan doesn’t have Uber Eats in his area, so he actually has to get up and pick up his food. Meanwhile, my American self is glued to my desk waiting for it to magically appear at my front door.
The tipping culture difference is just as wild. In the U.S., not leaving a tip feels like committing a crime, but he would simply pay and walk out without a second thought. It makes perfect sense that he loves when Americans visit his workplace. We show up with gratitude and a 20% tip.
Aside from that, I really love how deep the CPA lore goes. When I was brand new, I had no idea there was so much history. It’s honestly wild. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a community like this where everyone knows each other and all the lore.
Superhero123: This is a bit of a tricky question because CPA has a lot of things I like going on for it. In regards to lets say the “normal” CPA experience I really enjoy the sense of belonging and comradery that an army provides. This also opens the path to forming stronger connections with people, which can manifest into true real life friendships (it has happened to me and also multiple other community members).
In terms of what I enjoy the most about CPA in regards to my personal experience in this community (which objectively differs a lot compared to the average person), I have to say that I very much enjoyed leading an army/project and the strategizing and diplomacy elements this naturally provides. I do not think I was an exceptional leader (although not a bad one either), but those experiences really helped me grow skills that I otherwise wouldn’t had.
Xing: The best part of CPA for me is the structure and discipline it creates. It keeps me accountable and pushes me to stay consistent every day, even when I do not feel like it. Being part of something that expects effort and focus makes me take my responsibilities more seriously, and it builds a mindset where I am always trying to improve rather than staying comfortable.
Fun X Time: Club Penguin Armies is a great place to socialize and get recognized. It’s one of the most historic and most interesting virtual roleplay games on the Internet right now. When you establish connections in the army community, you feel like sticking to it. I’m quite fond of my own army, the Star Force. I’ve been able to unleash creativity here at Club Penguin Armies and create my own community!
What do you enjoy most in your daily life?
Jojo teri: Pressing EP E6 on CPAB.
Mare: That’s a great question. I love life and every day above ground is a GREAT day. I recently bought a car and every time I look at it I feel so proud of myself. Like, DAMN. I worked hard and did that all by myself with no help. That is such a crazy and rewarding feeling. Aside from my car, I named it Kitty, I love hanging out with friends, trying new restaurants, traveling, shopping of course, listening to music, gaming (Overwatch/Valorant/Marvel Rivals) , and I’ve gotten into reading!
Superhero123: I am a creative force. Not exactly in the artistic sense, but in the sense I very much enjoy creating stuff from 0, whether that is armies or other kinds of projects. My daily job as an engineer involves building things and I very much like that! In fact I would say I get a bit depressed when due to life issues I am unable to work on interesting projects for a period of time. I feel like a caged bird when that happens, and so I then seek another opportunity to build something cool!
Xing: What I enjoy most is the balance between staying productive and seeing progress. Whether it is in school, work, or the gym, I like knowing that I am getting better at something. I enjoy pushing myself physically in the gym, staying sharp mentally with my studies, and even the small routines like listening to music or taking care of my appearance. It is the feeling of constant progression that I enjoy the most.
Fun X Time: Being a hard worker in CPA improves my work experience skills. It also makes me a great starter politician, and doesn’t intervene with my regular routine much.
How does being a hard worker in CPA affect your life?
Jojo teri: CPA can provide values, experiences and knowledge for the real life too. Id say its the opposite from the question, though. Being a hard worker in life in general affects what someone does in CPA. I believe it is what pushed me to get higher and higher ranked roles, eventually becoming leader in multiple armies and ending up as an administrator. First in CPAJ and now in CPA. There is nowhere higher to go so I am just trying to do my best in CPA for CPA for the time I’m here.
Mare: When I was an admin / leader / head, it of course did have some effect on my IRL because it was basically like a full-time job. If I looked away for a few minutes and came back, there would already be new problems happening. I tried not to let CPA affect my IRL, but it definitely did, especially things like my nail appointments. Somehow I would always have to postpone them because there was drama happening in CPA or an event that needed attention.
It also gave me a lot of anxiety, which I do not know if anyone else experienced with CPA, but it really shows how something online can affect you in real life. I don’t think people always realize that because you are behind a screen, it is easy to hide. As an admin, I was dealing with a lot of anxiety, but I tried to hide it because I felt like if I looked like I was struggling, people would lose trust in me.
Just a note to everyone: at the end of the day everything will work out and remember to step away and breathe!
Superhero123: To be honest I would not say I am a hard worker in CPA anymore. I am no longer a teenager, and life responsibilities are taking a greater chunk of free time than they used to. I contribute to CPAB when I have time and energy but for the most part my responsibility is ensuring the game operates smoothly and securely, and to handle administrative issues when they arise (plus I pay the server costs :p) . The actual heroes of CPAB right now are its staff members (developers, artists and moderators)!
Xing: Being a hard worker in CPA carries over into everything else I do. It makes me more disciplined with my time, more focused on my goals, and less likely to waste time. I approach school, work, and even personal habits with a stronger sense of responsibility. It also builds resilience, because I am used to putting in effort even when things get tiring or stressful.
Fun X Time: Being a hard worker in CPA improves my work experience skills. It also makes me a great starter politician, and doesn’t intervene with my regular routine much.