[PC] Eve Online - the biggest scam in MMORPG history?
Most EVE Online players probably heard about the GHSC infiltration incident, when a group of agents worked for one of the most successful corporations in the game, spending over a year undercover to gain the trust of the members, who eventually granted them access to the corp hangars. What followed was one of the most incredible heists in MMORPG history, as the group stole over 30 billion ISK from the corporation as well as destroying the leader's ships and escape pods.
The community uproar was big and sparked one of the most interesting debates in regard to MMOs: In a fully open-ended game, with a player-driven economy and politics, should the developers step in and intervene when extreme things like this happen? Make no mistake, as cool as it sounds for outsiders and while the victims weren't innocents either, the work of GHSC ruined the efforts of many gamers who spent hundreds and thousands of hours in EVE trying to build up wealth and technology.
Now the community has barely had time to calm down and here it is, the next incident that easily surpasses the numbers GHSC achieved with their heist. It's the story of a guy named "cally", who ran a corporation, a player-operated bank called "Eve Intergalactic Bank". Over the course of four months, hundreds of players deposited money in his bank, which offered interest, loans and insurance like every other ordinary bank. Except for the fact that one day, cally decided to grab all the money that was deposited and fly off to space with an alleged total sum of 790 billion Isk. In real life, this would translate to \$170,000 - quite possibly the biggest MMO scam ever conducted.
Not only that, he also took the time to record a video in which he confesses his crimes, makes fun of the community, and reveals that he is a pirate, who once held the highest bounty in the game.
No doubt this event will once again make the rounds on mainstream gaming sites as well, and it's time for your opinion on this. Do you think scams like this one make the game more compelling and more realistic? Or is it just a punch in the face for all the gamers just wanting to have fun, an unnecessary display of ego by someone who perhaps isn't successful in real life? We're very interested in your comments.
Download: [Cally's EVE Online Confession Video]
SOURCE: QJ.NET - MMORPG Blog - 24/7 Coverage of the Latest MMORPG News - Article Detail
