Power in TORN comes in many forms, wealth, stats, rank, faction influence, even the ability to manipulate the market. Some players have dominated through sheer force, while others discreetly pull strings behind the scenes. But here’s a question that might hit deeper…
Do we really control power in TORN, or is our power what controls us?
Think about it. When you first joined as a fresh newbie, barely knowing a thing about what this place had to offer, your goals were probably simple - get stronger, make money, maybe find a faction to feel some sense of belonging. But as you progressed, did your mindset shift? Did pursuing power change the way you play, the way you interact with others or even how you view yourself in game?
We see it all the time. A person grinds battle stats obsessively, reaching insane ratings, only to end up feeling like they can never stop training. A faction leader gains influence and suddenly finds they’re spending more time managing politics than actually playing the game. A player gets rich, but starts to get trapped in a cycle of investments, gambling, and market manipulation, always craving the need for more wealth.
This is far from a mere game, it is a microcosm of human psychology - addiction, social influence, competition, status. Even outside of TORN, we often see how power can shape individuals and societies, often being a double edged sword and consuming those who seek it. Look at real world billionaires and criminals, are we really any different here?
So I ask you, the reader:
- Have you ever felt that TORN has changed you?
- Does power in the game actually lead to freedom, or does it lead to a prison in itself?
- If you lost everything that you have today, absolutely reset, money, stats, faction, rank, awards, merits, and education, would you still enjoy the game the same way or is your current life in TORN really controlling you?
I suggest an addition of something like the points refill and things, where you’d be able to exchange points to reset your wheel of fortune spins for the day.
Subscriber status cannot be bought with in game currency. I’m not talking about dp though that’s totally its own issue. I was merely saying. I don’t necessarily believe that torn is pay to win, because you can’t win, but to say that your account is evidence of the contrary, when the person very obviously has and is spending money, is untruthful and that’s all I was pointing out.
I haven’t achieved anything in my time here. I quit for half of these 700 days, and merely want to engage in conversation. I strive for little in this game, I’ve never been big on training, faction wars are trivial, and chaining is repetitive as hell. I merely based my question on common questions in philosophy, and a thread I saw on whether people would start from the ground up in the case of a total reset.
Do you believe that you haven’t changed at all in your 2000 days in the game? Even just doing something differently from what you would have done on day one is change.
I appreciate your reply and I’m intrigued by your answers
if my writing can ever come close to the work of a philosopher like him I would be happy. However I don’t think TORN is the right avenue, it seems I misjudged how much engagement I’d be able to get out of a post like this one. I guess people don’t take kindly to having their addictions questioned in this way.
what I was getting at is that for some players, the focus on power can sometimes shift from being a fun challenge to something that feels more like a necessity. If we had to start from scratch, it would just reset the race, but it wouldnt change the fact that the goal for most of us is still that same pursuit of power.
At the end of the day, the games structure encourages us to care about progress and rewards, and without that, there’s no game. So, if losing everything would affect your enjoyment, it just proves that power is central to the game its not just some side effect. Without it, the game wouldn’t hold the same appeal.
I was just bored while travelling and decided to make a forum post, I suppose it was too much for the high level players of this game to consider that at the end of the day… it is just that. A game.
I think the truly dumb ones are ones without the ability to read intrinsic meanings hidden behind seemingly shallow words.
No one’s saying losing everything wouldn’t change how you play. But the real question is why power in TORN feels so necessary. Is it just about having an advantage, or does it become something we need to enjoy the game?
You compared it to real life, which is interesting because if TORN is comparable to your life then I’d say get some help and stop feeding your addiction. If someone loses everything in real life—money, status, security—it can be devastating because those things impact survival. But in TORN, survival isn’t real. There’s no physical consequence to losing stats or wealth. And yet, for a lot of players, the idea of starting over feels like a nightmare.
So, is power in TORN just about making the game easier, or does it actually change the way we experience the game itself? If someone had to start over and didn’t enjoy the game anymore, does that mean they were playing for fun—or were they just playing to maintain power?
Of course that would be an option… another interesting food for thought, if the game were to be wiped tomorrow and everyone was reset, do you think players would approach it differently? Or would we fall into the same patterns once again?
This is the best perspective to have in my opinion. I know there are many who don’t share your sentiment, but I definitely do. That’s the real divide, some see TORN as a hobby for entertainment, while others view it as an extension of their ambition. That begs the question, is the way we value power in the game a direct reflection of how we view real life success?
A fair point—losing everything would absolutely change how you play. But does that mean power in TORN is more of a necessity than a choice? If losing stats and money would make the game unenjoyable, then in a way, power isn’t just something we want—it’s something we depend on.
That raises another question: at what point does power stop being about enjoyment and start being about survival? If a player grinds for years to build themselves up, only to feel like they can never afford to lose it, are they really in control—or are they trapped by the very thing they worked for?
Would you still play TORN if you had to start over from scratch, or would that be the end of the game for you?
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