Out of Pod Experience

If you feel that you like the "backstabbing, ganking and meanness" is anyone actually obliged to look out for you or protect you when you can't take it?

The way I see it, is to expect no mercy where I have shown none. If you have had equal opportunity in the game to be just as bad, would you be held to the same HTFU standards as the rest of the player base? Or would Ripard Teg intervene when it gets too much?

What OP is talking about.

Note: I didn't post this link for fun, but because it illustrates what OP means by "can't snap out of it".

The answer of course, is to use good judgement, common sense, and possess a bit of humanity. I'm with you on that.

On the flipside, watching someone melt down into an incomprehensible screaming blob of rage does have that sort of train-wreck mesmerizing "i can't look away" aspect to it. You don't have to be a sociopath or even a generally callous human being to experience that, or at least be a bit fascinated by it. But beyond that, there is also a culture in Eve that promotes specifically taking joy in this. Its a pretty mainstream culture at that. Enjoying the delicious tears of your enemies is not restricted to any particular subset of players. Psychological warfare is alive and well, and acknowledged as an effective and completely valid tactic. It doesn't matter if you're a ganker, a scammer, a trader, a wardeccer, a pvper engaged in small gang or sov warfare, in faction warfare, a cloaky camper, a blops dropper, a doomsday drive-by-er, or someone engaged in any number of other pursuits, getting under your opponent's skin is a sure sign you're doing something right, and thus it is normal to derive pleasure from the sweet tears of your enemies. And no, before anyone takes this the wrong way, I do not think that tear harvesting is a slipperly slope that necessarily ends with sociopaths tormenting the mentally ill, or that there isn't some line somewhere into what is unacceptable behavior. There is a line, but that line is no clearer today than it was a month or even six months ago. CCP is intentionally vague about what is ok and what is not so that they have the maximum leeway to use their best judgement on a case by case basis. I fundamentally agree that this is a good policy for them to take, but it does have its downsides.

And of course, no one wants to be forced to walk around on eggshells (especially not in a game, and especially not in this game) just because someone else has some form of psychosis that is probably well-hidden. And no matter how much instigating or beyond-the-pale, poor-taste provocative behavior is going on (even ToS-violating behavior), its not the instigator's fault if someone goes and murders his family due to being in some unstable mental state (it may sound ridiculous until you start reading what people say). If a behavior is acceptable or at least tolerated 99% of the time, its not fair to lynchmob someone for that same behavior just because this one time out of hundreds the victim didn't take it so well. But its pretty obvious that this is what goes on all the time, in real life and sometimes in Eve too. I keep being reminded of how those australian DJs were vilified only after that nurse killed herself, and how many times I saw them called murderers (and also "bullies") for what 99 times out of 100 would have been laughed off as harmless. I'd be interested to hear your take on that story, as mental illness was certainly at play.



Taking things too far doesn't make you a sociopath. Sociopaths have a general lack of empathy, while any normal person is capable of doing terrible things under the right circumstances, such as in pursuit of a grudge.

I listened to that soundcloud recording numerous times to try to figure out why someone would think this Sohkar guy had been tortured. I couldn't find anything that remotely resembled any form of torture. What I did hear though was a guy that lost his temper. He was scammed. He got very angry. It is called gamer rage. There are hundreds of video examples of this on Youtube.

In fact how many of you have watched those videos and laughed your asses off watching them? I bet there is not a person that has watched them that hasn't. This was a case of a player that got scammed. He lost his cool. He got angry.

Why has this blown up into a huge issue?

One last thing, in regard to the OP. I do not think this Sohkar has any mental issues. I say this because he claims to be an air traffic controller. Air traffic controllers must pass rigorous psychological testing to be an air traffic controller. They have to do this annually...by law. If this guy suffered from any number of mental issues - he would not be an air traffic controller.

Makes sense to me.

And who am I kidding, we even enjoy the player-rage.

Good post mate! (i clearly came in after a needed edit of a wall ).

I hope things work out for you in RL. +1 for sharing your insight and sticking your neck out.

It may have very well been gamer rage only.
Also, I could pass a psych eval to be an air traffic controller, not that hard, especially if what you have isn't well understood by the professional mental health community.

I'm not trying to pick on this Erotica1 thing specifically. I didn't find the recording to be a problem at all until the guy started raging, would go silent, then start back up. That sounded like a guy who couldn't leave on his own to me.
I could very well be wrong about this specific case. I'm not focused on this specific case, its just that it blew up so big, even though it wasn't a huge Abu Grabe deal like people made it sound. It just made me feel like I should say something about the subject.

EDIT: Also, the death threats, N-word stuff etc was a clue that it was a thing gone too far. And maybe, just maybe, the "victim" needs to examine his reaction. I mean, seriously, the threats....

Ultimately, we play a game. I'm pretty sure that the anonymous nature of the internet has been debated to death, kicked a few times, and then had its virtual head chopped off. That anonymity should not impede the enjoyment we garner from a game.

Like in life, things can and do go too far. The key here is for one of any involved parties to recognize when it has reached the point where it is impacting the other person in real life. I look at it from two different angles. 1. The antagonist has the most control as they set the scam, the situation, and try to profit from the encounter. It is important to note that this person or team has the most control and needs to know when to take 'some' isk and move on with out doing real harm. 2. The protagonist, mark, has to take responsibility too and realize their actions lead them to that situation. I have a difficult time finding sympathy for somebody who put themselves in that situation. Mental Illness or no ... they took actions that lead them to that situation. It happens with non-mentally ill people too! It is a game, and if you can't roll with the punches and ... well ... aren't able to 'suck it up buttercup' then that's your problem. You need to learn from the experience and move on.

As you can tell, I'm likely to side with the mark and not the scammer. I think both groups need to know when to back off. The scammer could realize that a line has been crossed, provide a solution where they gain (isk) and the mark can keep some semblance of dignity while learning a valuable life lesson. A game should never, ever lead to the point where a person is chewed up, regurgitated, and let to stew out in public view. That's wrong.

In both cases, I'd make an argument that either side needs to take a break from the game. Pushing too far or getting to upset are definite signals to me that a break is needed.

I'd respond at length to the OP, but I think this is a troll. Ow Ok, I'll just ramble on anyway.

Op will:
a) Never listen
b) Isn't here to debate
c) Has an entrenched victim mentality
d) Wants some abuse to reinforce c)
e) is a fap alt

I grew up near a big mental hospital, worked bars nearby, went out with psych staff [yohoo ladies]. After witnessing the fifth violent assault in 3 months - on the street, outside my house, or at work I started to notice the same utterances. Like "memes" without the humour. As said person was dragged away:

"It's not my fault"
"My parents"
"I was bullied"
"Society did this to me"
"I'll kill youuuuuuuuuuuuu, you family, your pets, your street, your plants"
[These people are DEAD btw, I'm not messing - I saw 14 suicides in 9 years, and those were just the ones everyone liked, the rest killed each other)

Yo, newsflash OP. Last time someone uttered the following words in my presence I had them sectioned, and when he was released he was prosecuted for the **** and murder of 2 people:


I'm really sympathetic, except when someone genuinely threatens harm to themselves or someone else - over anything. And sadly, I get really stroppy when they get in my face. Life sucks, slap it back and have some fun, but if you are going to protest. Do it well. Make signs and stuff.

The day "imbecile" is a banned internet word, we might as well just stop engaging in anything approaching meaningful debate. I don't see why we should all have to bend over backwards to accommodate the wishes of those who have clearly stated they are mentally incompetent, and incapabable of playing on any sort of playing field. It's like having a debate with a child. NO. Just go to bed, NOW. You are a special creature. But you are also in my face. Why can't we reserve the right to say, actually get out of my face?/I can't be arsed/Don't give a **** about you - yo, where were you stranger, when life smacked me. That's right, sobbing on a blog somewhere about internet bullying. Despite never, ever putting your hands of heal on anyone else. mhmhmh