EVE General Discussion

Ingame, I will cheat, steal, lie, exploit, manipulate, kill and altogether take advantage of every opportunity I can to primarily earn ISK, and secondarily to cause loss to other players deliberately and intentionally (even of there is no profit in it, but mostly if there is). I understand, appreciate and practice loyalty as well as teamwork when it supports my own interests or is otherwise ofnmotivation to me.

Offline I am a 33yr old (bday today) nursing student with the history of a short military tenure, and dropping out of first legal studies and then psychology. Im glad to have found my "true calling" at last and its the best thing to ever have happened to me aside from my family. It would be, and is, completely unconscionable to me to ever act IRL as I do ingame. Both professionally as a nurse towards my patients and colleagues, as well as otherwise in my private life towards other people. I have a very strict and complex moral system that has taken me years to distinguish and for which I make sacrifices, because it is what I believe is right and its the person I want to be.I dont hold other people to, or expect them, to share my moral views. Those are their own business ans their own prerogative to define. And even if they are at odds with my own, I respect them for what they are, as they spring from the same source as my own do. From personal choice and autonomy. And most importantly, from responsibility

How is it, that I, the same person, behave towards my fellow man so differently in my day to day lide, as opposed to my time playing EVE?

This is a really difficult question. Mostly because the answer lies in an area of my own behavior that my normative life tries its damndest to deny and block me from perceiving.

Do I do what I do ingame, because I can and there are no overt and serious punishments for it? Certainly that plays a part, but, frankly, a lot of criminal or immoral behavior is equally possible IRL, as much of it is never reported or prosecuted. Its not all that hard to get away with such actions. Many people get away with it all the time. So though this does enable this behavior, ingame, that differs from my behavior IRL, it is only an enabling element, not a reason or motivation in and of itself for why I do behave this way ingame.

Upon introspection, the real reason why I do so, is a mix of sadism and showing that I am better than others.. The vicarious pleasure of extending my reach and negatively affecting another human players existence. Their tears are my joy and giddy pleasure. That is the cherry on the cake, after the original rush of competition and conflict where they try to protect what is theirs against my deliberate action to deprive them of it, or, in my own adrenaline rushed attempt to defend myself in from their attempt to do the same to me.

Now, whether any of you can relate to that, I dont know. Or more specifically, how many of you can admit to relate to that. But perhaps even more importantly, how many of you can introspect and recognise that these motives that drive me to this behavior, are infact very close to if not the same as your own fornthe same behavior.

How then is this possible that someone like me, who is otherwise a pillar of moral conduct both professionally and personally can suddenly behave this way towards his fellow human beings in a game? Reasons are twofold. First, is as I stated above, the game enables it without severe consequence. But that is just a superficial enabler. The real primary enabler and loophole that makes fuality of moral behavior possible, is that I regard the ships and characters I see around me in EVE, largely as abstracted toys for my own amusement. I dont think of, or care about, who you really are, nor ascribe to you the dignity I would for a person IRL. That kind of empathy goes right out the window. Funny, that. I suppose, above all else, in my actions that I take which are deliterious to your ingame persona, I care firstnabout the ISK I can aquire, but that is just a menial and mundane reward and purpose.

What I am REALLY looking for, is a reaction that shows I reaxhed out and touched you. That something in your response makes you human to me again. That if you cry, I can drink your tears in a communion of emotion. Your pain is matched by my joy. Together we both FEEL something, in this otherwise abstracted and impersonal virtual universe. Terrible, but upon introspection, that is what I found in myself when I dug as deep as I can to where my conscience dare not look.

But, it doesnt end there. Hinging on a reaction, as my actions seem to be, I also celebrate and enjoy a human expression of courage and acceptance in the face of what I have done. A player who takes the action in stride, accepts his losses and defeat, and moreso reaches out therafter in good faith and good spirit, is equally valuable to me. Perhaps even moreso, because this person has shown themselves to embody a most admirable quality. Ive read many others also appreciate this, human, response as well.
These guys I salute and offer assistance to, possibly even reimbursing their loss.

There is an implicit irony in all this, that is not lost on me, and hopefully not on you, the reader.
That paradoxically, in a game and a format (as well as internet), that in many ways, distances us from each other, that dehumanises us to both ourselves and each other, the human contact and reaction is what I seek and hunt for.

Summa summarum: These are my introspections on my personal moral dichotomy (and dilemma) between behavior as who I really, mundanely, am, in my day to day professional and private life (Im not kidding about any of that) and how I behave in this game. Before anyone starts shouting "SOCIOPATH" , I ask and recommend that you seriously, deeply, question yourself about your own behavior, why you do it, and how you reconcile that difference (if there is any) to your own honest self.

I'm only negative when people say really stupid things like this;

I wear the Puppy one, whilst shiptoasting and the Kitten one whilst.... Did I tell you I love them?

I told you Ezwal, you're not getting my Cosies.

This is not me posting about forum moderation.

This is me marveling at the extent to which this thread was shredded. Rightfully so, obviously.

Well done Ezwal.

ED: They're not your cozies Mag's!!!!! Gimme mah cozies!!!!

Whoaaa, 18 pages, poof!

And my comparative study of EVE morality using Mario Kart as a medium, all gone :(

I guess it could have been viewed as off topic, \o/ w/e.


On a more on topic note: Free the Tea Cozy!

You should send that to Ero,

Cue Anhenka's Law.

I guess we should consider ourselves lucky to have an expert on ethics and morality to explain this to us.

Can you please tell Mag's why he should give me back my wonderful collection of tea cozies?

@Mandarine: That would mostly depend on you posting a similar and as honest analysis of your own behavior and motivations ingame and out.

Care to do that for comparisons sake and to inform the discussion?

And some corrections to your observations.
I enjoy my work as a nurse because I find personal life gratification in helping other people in need of it.
This is the case for most health professionals as nurses, since its hardly the pay or the hours or other associated perks (of which there are none really in nursing). I enjoy going into work everysay to face different challenges, and in enaction of which I help in my small part to improve the world and the lives of those living in it. I receive no such gratification from a deskjob for example. It is "my calling" in the same way that other professions are for other people who have been lucky enough to realise and actualise a professiin that is that good for them personally.

Second correction, perhaps due to my dommunicating it poorly, or your misreading, is that ISK is the primary overt motivatiin for many of my actions in EVE. However, ISK is earned doing just about anything, and though having ISK enables various activities, the accumalation of ISK is not my primary reason for playing or my actiins, merely a constant consideratiin as to whether some action is worth doing, as it is I think for just about everyone to one exntent or another.

Furthermoee the post was written in a stream of concscience format, not as a scientific and constructed analysis, edited and reworked ad nauseum to withstand the pressures of peer critique.If there are inconsistencies, they are due to that, not to any part of it being "false" or factually incorrect.

So, hoping you will take time and introspect a bit a post of your own whixhnis similar to mine. Id be very interested in comparing it to my own.