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EVE Evolved: Suicide ganking investigated
EVE Online is a game where you're vulnerable to PvP in the safest of places. Even in high security systems where CONCORD will destroy any ship that attacks you, you're still vulnerable in the few seconds before the police arrive. Because of this, swarms of players in cheap ships are able to kill larger targets by synchronising their initial volleys. In recent years, suicide attacks have turned into a viable profession, with the primary targets being industrial ships and freighters carrying a high value of items.Safety versus consequences:A common misconception among newer players is that CONCORD are there to provide safety for players in high security space. Rather than provide direct safety to the player being attacked, they instead provide consequences for the attacker. While many other MMOs physically limit when and where you can attack someone, EVE starts with the assumption that PvP is possible everywhere and then adds punishments for engaging in safe areas. The attacking ships are destroyed and the security status of their pilots is lowered. If they lose too much security status, they won't be able to safely enter high security systems any more.Suicide attacks are on the rise in New Eden and cries for CCP to step in and resolve the situation have reached new highs. So what's the problem and how can it be avoided? Read on as I delve into the world of suicide ganking.
Teen commits suicide, guess what gets the blame
If you guessed "those vile, reprehensible videogames," then you're absolutely correct. The Daily Mail has published a report on Jake Roberts, a 13-year-old British youth who took his own life in February following an argument over a confiscated Wii game. A tragic tale, to be sure, but there's no doubt that the Mail's angle on the story leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth.In truth, this is hardly surprising. The Daily Mail has always stooped low to make its point, and the newspaper can barely wait to get into the shameful, dirty business of pointing fingers and furthering its own anti-gaming agenda through the story of a teen ending his own life. Tasteful, right? Right from the first line and throughout most of the article, the Mail insists on linking Jake's death with the dispute over his Wii, wilfully ignoring the possibility that other factors may have influenced Jake's sad decision over a longer period of time.Or, to put it another way, it's another proud day for the mainstream press.[Via Destructoid]
Blizzard takes banned player's suicide threat seriously
ClassifiedPeon (who has an awesome name) posts on her LJ about hearing a story on the radio about a kid who got banned from WoW, and then decided to try and bribe his way back into the game. At first, he pleaded Blizz to let him back in, and even offered them money ($3,000 via Paypal, supposedly, though how a kid like this gets money like that who knows). Blue, of course, declined the offer, which is when he sent them an email threatening to end his life if they didn't let him back into the game.And that's when Blizzard got serious. According to the original messageboard where the story was posted, not only did they send the kid an email with phone numbers for depression crisis centers, but a few hours later, the cops reportedly showed up at his door. Blizzard had apparently identified the kid from his IP address, and called the cops on his suicide threat. The story's been posted on Fark.com as well (and Digg also got their say), and the (hilarious) consensus there is that Blizzard did exactly the right thing in calling this little punk out on the stupid stuff he said. If the kid is really suicidal, he does need more help than Blizzard can offer him, and if he was just trying to lie his way back into his account (which is more than likely considering the kid was not only outright cheating, he was also supposedly using a "stolen serial"), he deserves to have the cops show up at his door.Unfortunately, apart from the messageboard post I can't find any actual news source on the story, so for all we know the whole thing is made up by the guy who posted it (and who posted it last January, you'll note). But it's an interesting tale, and it supports my thoughts from the other day: while there are probably some false positives floating around Blizzard's ban list, most of the people they give the heave-ho probably deserve it.
Blame the Parents?
By now, you've all probably heard the tragic story of a 13-year-old Chinese boy who committed suicide after a marathon session playing Warcraft 3. The parents of the boy have filed a lawsuit against the game's Chinese distributors, but the author of this article from the University of South Florida Oracle makes the case that the boy's parents, rather than the game, are really to blame.Although the article is short & doesn't give much reasoning to back up the author's point, I have to say that I agree, at least in principle. It is the parent's responsibility to teach their children the difference between fantasty & reality, after all. I have, and have always had, serious doubts about the media's ability to 'corrupt' our children, as long as we're talking about a sane, well-adjusted child to begin with. As Dennis Miller once said on the subject: "If your kids can be influenced by anything Gene Simmons has to say, then you're not doing your job as a parent somewhere down the line." I don't see where video games are any different. What do you all think?
Drakedog's suicide: now on Google Video
You probably didn't know the Warlock Drakedog. You never will, as he was stripped naked and killed by his meatspace doppleganger earlier this year in a fit of nihilistic rage. In real life, suicide is never the answer. In a virtual world that no longer offers its denizen joy, or is so addictive that it's become slavery, or has actually lost all meaning, suicide may well be the best option. I watched this video with a mix of horror and envy. Horror as loot that took hundreds of hours to accumulate was destroyed in a few mouseclicks. Envy that only a former MMOG addict can feel as he watches a fellow addict come clean, permanently. The video reminded me of a certain quote from Trainspotting, which I'll paste here, three words strategically replaced: "The down side of coming off WoW was that I knew I would need to mix with my friends again in a state of full consciousness. It was awful: they reminded me so much of myself I could hardly bear to look at them. Take Drakedog, for instance, he came off WoW at the same time as me, not because he wanted too, you understand, but just to annoy me, just to show me how easily he could do it, thereby downgrading my own struggle." Drakedog also made a string of less spectacular PVP videos. Here's one. Here's another. [Thanks, Niles]
