Online Community Makes Strides Towards Democracy After Allegation of Corruption

[SilentScope001]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/07/arts/07e...vhrZqXWze69bNLw

 

I hope that democracy really does take root in this terrible wasteland, where scamming and pyramid schemes are tolerated and even encouraged. The endless warfare and war crimes, as well as unexcusable government corruption...is terrible. Just terrible.

 

Plus, their currency exchange rate is so low, it's desipicable. $0.0000000549=1 ISK. Hyperinflation continues at a rapid pace. Poverty is at an all-time high. The online community has just hired a economist in order to help deal with the crisis, but is it a case of "too little, too late"?

 

I hope Freedom House brings a report on them. Maybe there should be some UN intervention to end the violence. I mean, it has to be a big issue, the New York Times covered it.

***

Due to registeration, I'm going to just post the whole article here for reading pleasure:

 

In a Virtual Universe, the Politics Turn Real

 

By SETH SCHIESEL

Published: June 7, 2007

The kingdom is in crisis. After pledging to treat its citizens equally, the government stands accused of unfairly favoring one powerful, well-connected political faction. Many citizens have taken to open dissent, even revolt, and some are threatening to emigrate permanently.

 

This specter of corruption has emerged most recently not in some post-colonial trouble spot but in the virtual nation of an Internet game called Eve Online (population 200,000) where aspiring star pilots fight over thousands of solar systems in a vast science-fiction universe every day.

 

So now, in a sociological twist, the company that makes Eve, CCP, based in Iceland (population 300,000), says it will tackle the problem the way a democracy would. In what appears to be a first, the company plans to hold elections so that players can select members of an oversight committee.

 

The company will then fly those players to Iceland regularly so they can audit CCP’s operations and report back to their player-constituents. And taking cues from transitions to democracy in the developing world, CCP says it will call in election monitors from universities in Europe and the United States.

 

“Perception is reality, and if a substantial part of our community feels like we are biased, whether it is true or not, it is true to them,” Hilmar Petursson, CCP’s chief executive, said in a telephone interview. “Eve Online is not a computer game. It is an emerging nation, and we have to address it like a nation being accused of corruption.

 

“A government can’t just keep saying, ‘We are not corrupt.’ No one will believe them. Instead you have to create transparency and robust institutions and oversight in order to maintain the confidence of the population.”

 

That confidence has been badly shaken in recent months as many players have become convinced that CCP has rigged the game in favor of a mighty alliance of players called Band of Brothers.

 

“Once again it seems that several of your employees have been up to no good,” members of a rival alliance called Goonswarm wrote in an open letter to CCP that was posted on the Internet over Memorial Day weekend. The letter detailed various allegations of misconduct, including a claim that a CCP developer had improperly infiltrated a Goonswarm group.

 

For nongamers and those whose gaming habit consists of a few rounds of Minesweeper during conference calls, it can be difficult to understand the emotional depth and commitment among players of so-called massively multiplayer online games, or M.M.O.’s. Players of such games, who generally pay about $15 a month for access, often spend thousands of hours over many years building their online personas, accumulating virtual power and wealth and often making friends with other players from all over the world.

 

The most famous and popular M.M.O. is the fantasy game World of Warcraft, which now has more than eight million subscribers. But there are factors that make Eve in some ways more intense than World of Warcraft or other M.M.O.’s.

 

Most notable perhaps is that all 200,000 of Eve’s users occupy the same virtual galaxy. In most online games, including World of Warcraft, players are split up among dozens or even hundreds of copies of the game world, known as servers. Each server may have a total population of only 10,000 or 20,000 people, and at any moment perhaps only 5,000 players are actually online.

 

In Eve, however, there is only one game world, and there are routinely 30,000 people within it at one time. And while a serious World of Warcraft guild might have 50 members, major alliances in Eve have thousands of members.

 

Also contributing to Eve’s distinction is the management of its “reality”: the game’s story line and politics are generated almost entirely by the players, not the game developers.

 

In Eve, for example, player alliances control vast expanses of digital real estate, including hundreds of planets. There are some areas that are safe for all players, known as Empire space, but much of the galaxy is called “0.0” space, which means that there is zero security or police presence there to protect players, as in many games.

 

In the 0.0 systems, virtual life is a literal free-for-all among warring player groups. If you fly your spaceship into a 0.0 system controlled by another alliance, you will almost certainly get shot on sight, no questions asked.

 

And so the various alliances of Eve Online fight epic campaigns for control of territory that essentially continue around the clock for months on end.

 

In an interview over an Internet voice chat program, the player known as SirMolle, chief executive of Evolution, one of the player corporations in Band of Brothers, said that his alliance’s goal was to take over every solar system in the game.

 

“Our goal in Eve is to control all of 0.0 space, and when that’s done we’re going to take over the empire one by one and control the empire as well,” he said. (SirMolle would not reveal his real name but said that he is a 40-year-old manager for a heating and cooling company in Sweden.)

 

The content is not real, in much the same sense that Tony Soprano and Scarlett O’Hara are not real. But for players to feel as if their investments of time and money have worth, they must believe that the company that makes the game is maintaining the fiction in good faith.

 

And so CCP’s credibility took a hit earlier this year when news leaked on Internet message boards that a company employee who played the game under the name T20 as a member of Band of Brothers had in essence given his in-game friends rare and valuable technical blueprints that allowed them an unfair advantage over other players. Band of Brothers returned the blueprints to the company, but the damage had been done. One player for Band of Brothers, Blacklight, who said he is a business consultant in Britain in real life, called the incident “a blow” in an Internet voice chat interview.

 

Then, over Memorial Day weekend, Goonswarm publicized its latest allegations. Last week the company rebutted those specific charges; in the case of the alleged infiltrator the company said that the employee was merely trying to fix a bug in the game code. But a broader problem was revealed: Many Eve players, writing on various message boards, said they simply do not trust CCP anymore.

 

So now CCP plans the radical step of opening itself up to independent oversight: nine player-overseers who will act as ombudsmen for the game’s subscribers. The company says it will hold the elections in the fall.

 

“I envision this council being made up of nine members selected by the players themselves, where you announce your candidacy, and if you win the election, they come here to Iceland, and they can look at every nook and cranny and get to see that we are here to run this company on a professional basis,” said Mr. Petursson, CCP’s chief executive. “They can see that we did not make this game to win it.”

Edited October 8, 2007 by SilentScope001

[Tale]

Pretty neat. I don't know if it'll do what they need it to do, but it's the most fascinating gimmick at the very least.

 

As a former EVE-Online player, with my ear still to the bedrock as it where, the situation that leads up to this repsonse is very deserved of this level of attention towards resolution. If not this manner of attention.

Edited October 8, 2007 by Tale

[Calax]

what'd be scary is if WoW became that... political and Machellevian.(I know I spelled that last one wrong.)

[Tale]

what'd be scary is if WoW became that... political and Machellevian.(I know I spelled that last one wrong.)

That'd be not scary at all. The amount of damage that the developers can do by playing the game and showing favoritism to a small circle of elite guilds would be minimal.

[Azure79]

How does a new player without any ties to other players even begin playing this game?

[Tale]

How does a new player without any ties to other players even begin playing this game?

All by his cold lonesome in space.

[Calax]

what'd be scary is if WoW became that... political and Machellevian.(I know I spelled that last one wrong.)

That'd be not scary at all. The amount of damage that the developers can do by playing the game and showing favoritism to a small circle of elite guilds would be minimal.

actually they already do. but I was referring more to the idea of a player insurrection against Blizzard over somthing.

[tripleRRR]

Some of my roommates started playing Eve last year for a few months. As long as you are not an ass or anything and don't act comepletely retarded it's not hard to join someone's corporation. You start out at the bottom of course but that's nothing new. Starting your own corporation is something else entirely.

[Tale]

I have a corporation tag that if I started playing again would make it difficult for me to join any other corporation.

 

But given my history in other games, I'd still pull it off. And also given my history in other games, I'd probably end up podding one of their leaders for a trivial bounty and destroying all of his expensive implants he used out of game money for isk exchanges to purchase.

 

And it would be great.

[Gorgon]

These MMOG economies always detract from the gaming experience, unless you made a game about online economies, that would be kinda like fantasy mimicing reality and biting it's own tail.

[Pop]

There's actually been some research done into MMO economies. There was a study out of some university in California that put Everquest's economy above Russia's in terms of strength and value, which makes you think. Then again, this was before WoW hit the scene.

[Calax]

There's actually been some research done into MMO economies. There was a study out of some university in California that put Everquest's economy above Russia's in terms of strength and value, which makes you think. Then again, this was before WoW hit the scene.

right now I think wow's is running at about 120USD for 1k gold. at least if gold sellers are to be believed.

Edited October 10, 2007 by Calax

[Walsingham]

With sufficient money involved you'll see organised crime get in on the act. Look at cricket.

[Gorgon]

There's actually been some research done into MMO economies. There was a study out of some university in California that put Everquest's economy above Russia's in terms of strength and value, which makes you think. Then again, this was before WoW hit the scene.

That does not compute, unless 'strength and value' does not equate with a rubel for rubel comparison.

[Nick_i_am]

With sufficient money involved you'll see organised crime get in on the act. Look at cricket.

Gold Farmer sweatshops are pretty close, to be honest.

[tarna]

There's actually been some research done into MMO economies. There was a study out of some university in California that put Everquest's economy above Russia's in terms of strength and value, which makes you think. Then again, this was before WoW hit the scene.

HAHAHA!

Reporter Ben Dover ejaculates that KY jelly stocks have escallated...( Look out! )

http://www.news.com/IRS-taxation-of-online...html?tag=st.num

IRS taxation of online game virtual assets inevitable

A series of tax law experts weigh in on whether the transfer of virtual goods in online games is taxable.

By Daniel Terdiman

Staff Writer, CNET News.com

 

Published: December 3, 2006, 9:45 AM PST

TalkBackE-mailPrint del.icio.us Digg this

NEW YORK--If you are a hard-core player of virtual worlds like World of Warcraft, Second Life, EverQuest or There, IRS form 1099 may someday soon take on a new meaning for you.

 

That's because game publishers may well in the not-too-distant future have to send the forms--which individuals receive when earning nonemployee income from companies or institutions--to virtual world players engaging in transactions for valuable items like Ultima Online castles, EverQuest weapons or Second Life currency, even when those players don't convert the assets into cash.

 

Most governments are only beginning to become aware of the substantial economic activity in online games, but the games' rapid growth and the substantial value of the many virtual assets changing hands in them is almost certain to bring them into the popular consciousness.

 

Read on Gamer-Dudes and Dudettes!

Sux to be you! :wink:

 

Dude! Where's my tax return?!?

Pre-orders on Anti-Proctal Intrusion Devices available now! Operators standing by!

Special pricing on Family Protection Packages.

*disclaimer* Does not protect against goverment issue STDs ( GI-STD ). */disclaimer*

 

Get yours now!

[Gorth]

So, what are they going to do, open up an IRS account in EQ/WoW and send out Orc patrols armed with heavy clubs to retrieve tax dollars from players?

[Gorgon]

With sufficient money involved you'll see organised crime get in on the act. Look at cricket.

Gold Farmer sweatshops are pretty close, to be honest.

If you live in Shrilanka it's a dream job.

[Fenghuang]

There's actually been some research done into MMO economies. There was a study out of some university in California that put Everquest's economy above Russia's in terms of strength and value, which makes you think. Then again, this was before WoW hit the scene.

HAHAHA!

Reporter Ben Dover ejaculates that KY jelly stocks have escallated...( Look out! )

http://www.news.com/IRS-taxation-of-online...html?tag=st.num

IRS taxation of online game virtual assets inevitable

A series of tax law experts weigh in on whether the transfer of virtual goods in online games is taxable.

By Daniel Terdiman

Staff Writer, CNET News.com

 

Published: December 3, 2006, 9:45 AM PST

TalkBackE-mailPrint del.icio.us Digg this

NEW YORK--If you are a hard-core player of virtual worlds like World of Warcraft, Second Life, EverQuest or There, IRS form 1099 may someday soon take on a new meaning for you.

 

That's because game publishers may well in the not-too-distant future have to send the forms--which individuals receive when earning nonemployee income from companies or institutions--to virtual world players engaging in transactions for valuable items like Ultima Online castles, EverQuest weapons or Second Life currency, even when those players don't convert the assets into cash.

 

Most governments are only beginning to become aware of the substantial economic activity in online games, but the games' rapid growth and the substantial value of the many virtual assets changing hands in them is almost certain to bring them into the popular consciousness.

 

Read on Gamer-Dudes and Dudettes!

Sux to be you! :wink:

 

Dude! Where's my tax return?!?

Pre-orders on Anti-Proctal Intrusion Devices available now! Operators standing by!

Special pricing on Family Protection Packages.

*disclaimer* Does not protect against goverment issue STDs ( GI-STD ). */disclaimer*

 

Get yours now!

 

 

Why not just bounce your IP through an international proxy?

[Walsingham]

Hold on a minute. Unless I'm mistaken you could use WoW to circumvent national controls on currency export. i.e. earn in Cuba online, move abroad and cash in your 'gold' for dollars. Is this true?

[Tale]

Hold on a minute. Unless I'm mistaken you could use WoW to circumvent national controls on currency export. i.e. earn in Cuba online, move abroad and cash in your 'gold' for dollars. Is this true?

Wouldn't you have to buy that gold in Cuba? Meaning whoever you give the Cuban currency to would have to deal with that?

[Calax]

Hold on a minute. Unless I'm mistaken you could use WoW to circumvent national controls on currency export. i.e. earn in Cuba online, move abroad and cash in your 'gold' for dollars. Is this true?

theoretically yes, however its technically against the term of service to sell gold for currency so if this becomes a wide spread problem blizzard might decide to flood the market as it were and make gold worthless.

[Nick_i_am]

He's right though, there's cirtainly scope for finantial abuse here, probably including money laundering.

[Walsingham]

Hold on a minute. Unless I'm mistaken you could use WoW to circumvent national controls on currency export. i.e. earn in Cuba online, move abroad and cash in your 'gold' for dollars. Is this true?

theoretically yes, however its technically against the term of service to sell gold for currency so if this becomes a wide spread problem blizzard might decide to flood the market as it were and make gold worthless.

 

That is assuming the launderers weren't so stupid as to NOT threaten Blizzard with violence a la carte if they did so. Keep in mind it also undermines themselves, since it's their economy. If they devalue the gold then no dice.

 

Maybe they should peg gold to a gold standard.

[Nick_i_am]

Look at Diablo 2. Online, gold became so worthless at high levels that people started using 'Stones of Jordan' as currency.