The greatest heist in gaming!
I have posted a couple of things about Eve because the game does not cease to amaze me.
While some people might not agree, Eve Online offers a very unique way of playing your “space persona”. The game offers no classes or levels and instead you are presented with a unique real time “skill system queue”. The Eve Universe is a harsh one that applies Darwin’s “Survival of the Fittest” theory; players create their own classes ( Thief, Rescuer, Spy, Miner, Politician, you name it and is probably there) making Eve one of the most complicated game in the MMO world.
Old players (even non players) probably heard about the infiltration incident that happened in one Corporation. A group of agents worked, infiltrated and spent over a year undercover to gain the trust of all members. The bond and trust was so great, the corporation promoted and granted some of the “spies” access to the hangers. What followed next was one of the most incredible heists in MMO history.
The agents stole over 30 billion isk (Eve’s currency) from the Corporation as well as destroyed the leader’s ship and pods. It had such an impact that it was featured in PCGamer ( this link will take you to a site with info and scans of the magazine). There are multiple cases of corruption and cons in Eve but to me this is the most memorable.
Why am I writing about this super old (it happened in ’06 if I am not mistaken) event? I wanted to illustrate some of the gameplay elements on Eve and how it can change the lives of the players and game world. Eve is suffering from its own economic crisis. Ebank is one of the largest player run banks in the game. It worked pretty much like a real bank: interest percentage, loans, share accounts, etc. Recently (08/25/09) the bank had to freeze the players accounts for an unlimited amount of time. Quoting from Ebank’s page:
“It is with deep regret that we inform you of our decision to suspend certain banking activities with immediate effect. As of now both withdrawals and interest are frozen until further notice. This decision has not come lightly, we have critically analysed all aspects of the business and decided it is in the best interest of our customers and the long-term sustainability of the bank that these actions be taken.”
Drastic actions like freezing withdrawals and gaining interest on account have occurred; even the former director stepped down. What will the players that invested in the bank will do ?
You can read about all the mismanagement in Ebank’s page
-B
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