Barbelo Valentinian
Gallente
The Scope
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Posted - 2010.12.25 14:53:00 -
[1]
 Originally by: HeliosGal
ccp allows the game to happen a certain way
Fascinating topic.
I think the above must surely be the case. After all, CCP are computer geeks like many other players here, they must know the commonly-used softwares, etc., etc., in fact they probably have them installed themselves, to see how they work! It's no great mystery.
The obvious conclusion is that a certain amount of it is tolerated so long as it's not hurting the bottom line, and there must be many ways in which people can do this stuff without hurting CCP's bottom line. Presumably the only ones that do hurt CCP's bottom line are the rl isk sellers who bypass the GTC/Plex system CCP have set up, and I'd be willing to bet CCP do go after them if and when they find them. But EVE is a big place, and people are clever.
But those who work within CCP's rules to make large amounts of isk or even some rl money? All good, clean fun from CCP's point of view, so far as I can fathom. In a way, they're just doing a meta version of what rentiers do in-game, or what a franchise might do irl.
And to be fair to CCP, it's clear that EVE is also a labour of love, and I believe they do also have some dedication to the artistic concept of making the world's first true all-in s-f simulator, so I think they're willing to do whatever it takes to get there - and that's a good thing for all of us.
One might think, well what about those who just play the game? Well, they get a great game to play, that keeps rolling, and keeps updating - I can say that because I'm one of them, I'm just a Bartle "Explorer" type who likes goofing off pretending to be a space pilot for a few hours a night. Bartle "Player Killers" are obviously well-catered for in EVE too, as are "Social" players.
The only losers, and that only in a psychological sense, are those who have a psychological barrier against all this kind of stuff happening - Bartle "Achievers" who have romantic notions about gameplay and what's fair and right in MMOs, and whose sense of achievement is tied to "achievement" in terms of the virtual game world. All this kind of botting stuff cheapens their experience. As a Bartle "Explorer", I don't have much sympathy for that type of player, but I recognise that the situation as it currently stands must hurt.
On a more general level, this kind of thing was foreseen long ago by s-f writers like Vernor Vinge and canvassed more recently by Charlie Stross. The idea that virtual worlds could be places where people can make real life money is a well-known trope, and it's obviously just going to expand as time goes on.
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