Ka Jolo
The Tuskers
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Posted - 2011.03.18 17:48:00 -
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I'm Ka Jolo, founder and CEO of the Tuskers, a lowsec pirate corp. IRL I'm a "religious leader."
You may count me among those that consider EVE-Online a game with its own rules. Just as I won't hesitate to take your queen in chess, take your money in poker, or steal home in baseball, I don't hesitate to make you choose between losing your ship or paying a ransom in EVE.
However, unless my opponents are very close friends or relatives, I tend not to insult my chess opponents, gloat over my money at the poker table, or tell that right-fielder he has no value and should just shoot himself and do his team a favor.
In other words, I can distinguish between the rules of the game and social conventions followed by those who play games. When it comes to EVE, I don't import the rules of my real world, but I do tend to bring my socializing habits with me. The Tuskers is a family-friendly corporation that discourages foul language and smack talk and recognizes the priority of RL. I believe my game play is enhanced by having good in-game relationships, and I treat others accordingly.
Insulting one's chess opponent or rubbing one's poker opponent in his losses or belittling one's baseball opponent are not part of those games per se, but I recognize that they are also not illegal. In EVE, griefing and scamming within the boundaries set forth by CCP are more legitimate than such behavior would be in RL. For this reason, I have my guard up and play EVE with the understanding that there will be those out to ruin my day and/or scam me out of my pitiful number of Interstellar Kredits. I stay away from such behaviors myself, not because I consider them to be inimical to my RL character as a religious leader, but because I consider them to be inimical to my enjoyment of the game and to the development of the sorts of in-game relationships I wish to enjoy.
EVE facilitates intercommunication between real people. It is possible to engage in cybersex, hate speech, religious proselytizing, and political dialogue using EVE-Online as the medium of communication. Some of these activities I don't do because of my real-life values; others I don't do out of social convention; and others I may do.
tl;dr version:
EVE is a game whose rules allow at least some forms of combat, scamming, griefing, and interpersonal communication.
Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you MUST do that thing.
In addition to EVE-Online as a game, one may consider RL social conventions, especially as those impact one's enjoyment of the game.
One should distinguish between game rules by which all must abide and gameplay choices voluntarily adopted.
Ka Jolo
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