Posted - 2006.08.24 20:48:00 - [1]

 

Edited by: Godagast Goudiyah on 24/08/2006 21:07:38
I just read that EVE-NN is now offering an interview to the EIB scammer.

It's funny how the news media in EVE mirrors the news media in the real world, isn't it? It shouldn't be a surprise, since the game is played by real people and therefore models real society to a certain extent, but I still think it is an interesting point to note.

Look at the news in the real world. What are the big stories, who are the big stars we are presented with? Are they actually people of substance, with real achievements, say, in the field of science, or politics, or art, or charity? People who actually contribute something positive to society?

No. The biggest stars on TV are the dudes from "Big Brother", or "American Idol". The biggest stories are usually about the private life of some celebrity - a famous actor or pop singer getting married, or having an affair, or going to rehab for drug possession, or driving his car into a tree while under the influence. That is the stuff that makes the headlines. If you look at it, it's all trivial, unimportant garbage.

So it's no surprise, really, that we have the same phenomenon in the EVE universe. Right now, one of the biggest stories is the EIB scam. The scammer is a celebrity, which is exactly what he wanted. Despite the fact that his only "accomplishment" is to screw a lot of people over. As far as I'm concerned, that is no accomplishment at all. Granted, the scale was big this time, the sheer size of it. But the basic scheme he used was really very simple. It doesn't require a lot of creativity or imagination - only the ruthlessness to do it, and the patience to spend a certain amount of time on making it work.

It's remarkably easy - especially given the anonymity of the internet - to screw people over if that is all you want to do. Most people, myself included, are trusting and give you the benefit of the doubt at first. And that is a good thing, believe it or not, because society couldn't function otherwise - if all of us were paranoid and constantly worrying about everyone else "out to get them", we'd never leave the house. Of course, there is always going to be a minority of do-no-goods who exploit this trust. But theirs is no real accomplishment, except for self-gratification. It doesn't take genius. Just a lack of character.

It's also an interesting parallel to criminals of our real society, how the guy is promoting himself now. Basically, he could have just walked away with the money and be done with it. But scammers being what they are, they can't resist bragging about it. They have to reveal themselves to everyone, to show off their master plan, to demonstrate how great they are and how stupid everyone else is. It is a well-known pattern of behaviour from criminal science. A lot of robbers or serial killers are sending taunting letters to the police or to the media, basically saying: "Here I am. You're not going to catch me. I outsmarted you all." Incidentally, that is often how they finally get caught.

Another parallel to the real world is how these characters always acquire a crowd of impressionable admirers, who mistake their lack of humanity for greatness and believe it's cool to screw people over.

Of course, in this case, the guy is not going to get caught. As he himself points out - rightfully -, he hasn't even broken any official rules. But, by publishing this long, rambling, self-indulgent "confession video" and all the "I win EVE" antics on the forums, he has still embarassed himself quite a bit, for what it's worth. He's thrown away a lot of the mystique he could have had if he had simply walked away. Now he's just proven the old truth that, with all the wealth in the world, you can't buy class.

To paraphrase Winston Churchill: "I robbed you! You are poor." "Yes. But you, sir, are ugly. Tomorrow, I will be rich again. You are still going to be ugly."