Socializing Gamers - Wordplay and the Discourse of Video Games - page 34

unfriendly learning curve that distinguishes the game. The game is rou-
tinely summarized in similar ways, with acknowledgement that it is “mind-
numbingly harsh for those who want a pick-up game, or a game that cares
if you make it beyond your fi rst 30 days—or even 30 hours” 30 and that it
has “the deserved reputation for being the hardest MMO to get a grasp
of.” 31 EVE has a virtually vertical learning curve, with a deep and complex
world that is so dif erent from other games that there is a veritable ton of
information to learn. Even the game developers, CCP, note the dii culty of
learning the game when beginning to play, stating that “you don't have to
learn everything at once and that some things you won't ever need to learn”
and “despite all our ef orts to help players learn, most still gain the majority
of their knowledge from other players which is the natural way of things
in an MMORPG [massively multiplayer online role-playing game].” 32 This
last note is perhaps the most interesting, as it presents part of the reason
why the developers do not have a problem with their reputation as the most
dii cult MMOG to learn. The dii culty encourages player interaction, as
new players must interact with older players in order to ascertain how to
play the game. This has led to the development of groups like EVE Uni-
versity, 33 a player-run entity dedicated to educating new players about the
game. The dii culty of EVE is notable and important, precisely because it
has a tremendous impact on how players are socialized.
Two other key design components distinguish play in EVE . First, is the
constant refrain, reinforced in both word and deed, that you should trust
no one. 34 The developer's F.A.Q. about the game concludes with the warn-
ing that “this is general advice” and “we cannot guarantee any standard of
behavior towards you.” 35 Although vague, the intent behind this warning
is reinforced by the numerous in-game actions that have thrown EVE 's
world, individual corporations (the EVE versions of guilds or clans), or
player accounts into chaos. In EVE it is legal to steal from others or engage
in a creative use of game mechanics to garner an advantage, which could
range from a suicide attack to destroy another player's ship and obtain
the loot rights to the cargo and materials, 36 to stealing the equivalent of
$45,000 in game currency in a massive investment scam, 37 to defrauding
your corporation of billions in game currency, 38 or engaging in corporate
espionage to dissolve a competitor. 39 In the course of EVE very few activi-
ties are frowned upon by the developers, and there is no protection from
scams or other activities that would be deemed illicit by game managers in
many other MMOGs. Account hacking and botting 40 are the two crimes
punished by game administrators. The paucity of fi xed rules means that
EVE Online has a massive amount of emergent, unexpected game play, as
players are given free rein to do just about whatever they like in the game
world in order to fi nd the play experiences they seek.
The companion game concept to this is that you will die in EVE Online ;
it is simply a matter of when and how often. The fi rst commandment of
EVE is that “the only place where you're safe in EVE is either docked or