EVE Online bank gets ripped off
Scott Bicheno - 3 Jul 09, 12:54pm
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Bit of a Friday quirky this: a virtual bank found in MMO (massively multiplayer online) game EVE Online has been the victim of embezzlement by its in-game CEO, in order for him to raise funds in the real world.
The player, a 27-year-old Australian tech worker who uses the game name Ricdic, told Reuters it was an "on the spot decision," taken to overcome real-life difficulties. He rinsed EBank, of which he was the in-game CEO, to the tune of 200 billion interstellar kredits (ISK), which he then flogged on for $6,300 Australian (£3,073).
Players are supposed to accumulate game currency by doing stuff in the game like trading, working, stealing, etc, and so according to the rules of the game Ricdic didn't apparently do anything wrong when he stole. It was only selling the ISK for real cash that has got him banned from the game.
Black markets offering game currency, items and even developed characters in exchange for real money have long been a fixture of the MMO world, but are not usually endorsed by the people who run them.
Ricdic's actions caused a Northern Rock style run on EBank as other gamers panicked and removed their deposits. "I'm not proud of it at all, that's why I didn't brag about it," he said. "But you know, if I had to do it again, I probably would've chosen the same path based on the same situation."
You can read the official EBank thread on EVE Online's forums here, and see the response of some gamers to the Reuters story on an unofficial forum here.
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Doubt it was that impending as cutting back on luxuries such as broadband and game subs never happened.Quote
This is where you're misunderstanding:
The 'bank' is not run by the people who make Eve. The Bank can not just insert the cash back into their database.
I still don't think that's entirely true. Presumably the ultimate overlord admin people do have the power to give people or corporations gold? Would they be right to do so? I doubt it. If it was the bank of EVE that had lost their money then by all means they should take steps to return it, but it wasn't the bank of EVE at all.
In any case, EVE prides itself in having a highly realistic and complex economy, this guy is just a virtual Bernard Madoff in my opinion. Yes these people probably worked their arses off to get that kind of in game money, but at the end of the day it's just a game. No offense, but i'd prefer to play a game where i didn't have to spend that amount of time to earn that kind of money - seems like far too much effort. You trust your money to other people (on an MMO that's pretty damn risky anyway), you suffer the consequences when they bugger off with it. Lest we forget that all games have "rogue" character traits - this guy has just taken it one step further!
What can you buy for that kind of e-cash anyway?Quote
So what did the guy need the money for?
Doubt it was that impending as cutting back on luxuries such as broadband and game subs never happened.
Medical bills and a deposit on his house. :)Quote
I still don't think that's entirely true. Presumably the ultimate overlord admin people do have the power to give people or corporations gold?...
It is true ;)
Yes, CCP could give the ISK back (not that they would or should, it would pee a lot of people off), but the *bank* can not change *any* database to make the ISK come back - period :)
As I said:
The 'bank' is not run by the people who make Eve. The Bank can not just insert the cash back into their database.
Which was a response to
Its not a real bank, with real things happening. They can just code back in another 200bn ISK!
The bank can't do it. Simple :)Quote
So what did the guy need the money for?
Doubt it was that impending as cutting back on luxuries such as broadband and game subs never happened.
I'm sorry, but in the modern world, Broadband is no more a luxury than a telephone line, if your in financial difficulties then i can guess broadband to be one of the last things you cut back on.
Plus with Eve he probably didn't need to pay for game subs ever, the joy of being able to buy sub's with in-game money.Quote
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