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A Brief Look at Social Manipulation in Eve Online
MMORPG.com EVE Online Correspondent Tom Wilson takes a look at the idea of social manipulation in CCP's sandbox space MMO.
When you take a little bit of time to think about it, social manipulation is one of the core tenets of being violent in any MMO. Minds are easily moulded; people are easily coerced if the correct words are used. Situations are caused through words, and words alone, and these words can cause more damage to the parties involved than say...an individual ramming ammunition down your throat till you submit to his or her way of thinking.
Prey on the weak; threaten to grind the capsuleer running his mouth off on the local channel into dust; despite what people may say; social manipulation in New Eden is a grisly affair. It requires a certain lack of morals, a selfishness that borders on the perverse, and an arguably sadistic attitude. The people that do it generally have one goal in mind: ISK. In a game like Eve, where loss has a physical effect on both your personal emotions, these entrepreneurs are playing for big stakes. The randomness that is human decision making means that you have yourself a game within a game, where the power of language can be the deciding factor between wealth and ruin.
;)
For this reason alone, people tend to shun the individuals that practice these "arts". There are notable exceptions, people like Istvaan Shogaatsu and Haargoth Agamar, who have secured their places in the annals of the game's history with their daring feats of awe inspiring theft and scandal. In what is truly a sandbox game, Eve has proven time and time again that capsuleers are what makes the galaxy tick, and that fortunes can be gained and lost in a day, given the right mental attitude. Nearly all of such routes are on that darker path, where some small part of yourself is responsible for egging you on, to rip that pigdog out of his safe zone and dump him in a heap on the cold flagstones at the bottom of the ladder once again. That first time you succeed, and feel the exuberance rising within is enough to get you hooked for a good long while. The feeling that you have made an impression on the universe as a whole isn't one that a lot of people will shun without pause for thought.
This is social manipulation, a shadowy offshoot of the generally frowned upon metagame. It's a part of an already harsh game that more and more people are coming forward to claim responsibility for, myself being one of them. When it comes down to it, New Eden is a harsh environment for the people that expect the world to revolve around them. With everyone that plays a role in the world that CCP have created, there is someone waiting to exploit the very human core of the person that has assumed that role. It's a chilling, yet exciting prospect, and one that people try to beat out of newcomers.
There is, of course, a flipside to the coin. Some might argue that corporate theft drives people away from the game, or attracts the wrong kind of people to the small part of the universe that they inhabit. It is, however, what comes with sandbox games and, although it might be exceptionally hard to counter, it's an ongoing trial by fire to see who knows what they are doing and who doesn't. After all, running a corporation is just that. You've got to pay attention to who's still on your books, and who has access to what, something which can lead to disastrous consequences.
However, the actual theft is a lot harder to do than you might imagine. Whilst Eve is a game that inadvertently encourages the common player to shrug off the moral bindings that limit our actions in the real world, there are still large shards of humanity left in the capsuleer corporations and alliances. The emotions that people cling to mean that when you are actually "in action", the stakes are a lot higher. You're not just pulling the wool over one person's eyes; you're pulling it over a whole corporation which in turn makes the risk even higher because you are interacting with multiple people, all with varying degrees of intelligence and thoughts on yourself (the infiltrator). When it is about not being stupid, but the essence of human nature means that it's pretty noticeable if you're trying not to be shifty. Finding the delicate balance between friendliness and keeping to yourself so that you don't give enough away subconsciously to alert people to your actions is one of the more complex things that you can accomplish, be it in-game or out.
;)
One of the main things to point out, however, is that corporate theft is in no way comparable to theft in the real world. Many corporations in Eve lack a corporate ladder, meaning that whilst there are certain people who are good at what they do, and thus gain titles such as mining director or fleet commander, the implementation of a corporate hierarchy is somewhat more complex. The rewards that it offers are slim, due to many corporations wishing to bring across a friendly atmosphere, one where every member is part of a big corporate family. Ultimately, these sorts of corporations are the ones that are prime targets, with added factors being the mentality of the people in them, and the assets which are noticeable. The more valuable the theft, the better.
Unfortunately, and I say this as a player of the metagame myself, the only "real", yet still not completely fool proof way to prevent corporate theft is to make being part of the group worth more than stealing from it, which can be achieved in two ways:
- Empty corporate hangars.
- Having such a strong corporate bond that it's simply not an option.
To make sure a strong bond exists between the corporation and the people with the access, it's imperative that you clear out roles of long-time inactives so that when they do return, you don't find all of your things suddenly disappearing. There are plenty of examples of this to go around, with multiple probably in the early stages of completion as I write this. To step up the bar in regards to the currently stagnating world of political intrigue would be an interesting avenue for CCP to lead New Eden down, especially with the sudden appearance of wormholes across the universe.
As always though, the possibilities are endless. Try it. Who knows, you might be surprised just rewards it can offer.
A better name for this article would be social engineering...
Slightly off topic..
I always wonder how long it takes for a beginner to be able for a newbie to jump into the action.
Since like Veterans already got their T2, Implants etc. your just no match for them.
Read through the posts here. Many of them answer that question for you.
Week or two at most, can't take on the vets with firepower but use ECM, electronic warfare, support fire from a distance. Group warfare will be what you most need to get into to start off. Lots of support you can use first off while you train the nessessary skills to get where you want to, just find a good pvp corp that will take you in but make sure you are dedicated to this type of playstyle as most won't waste their time if your not.
This is a very good insight into one of the things that makes Eve truly unique in the MMO genre. It's also the one thing that most new players cannot understand. Most MMO companies flat out ban players from "stealing" or "scamming" another player. Eve not only doesn't do this, they actually promote this type of behavior. I have said this before and I'll state it again here. No matter how hard MMO players try, we tend to invest ourselves in our characters and because we do so, they often become a reflection of who we are in real life. In my experience, rare is the player who can avoid this phenomenon. As the article writer stated, there is usually something in your character/nature in real life that appeals to this type of behavior in game. I applaud those that get away with this sort of thing because it can have a huge impact on the political climate and the power struggle that is Eve Online.
I think the reasoning in the article is a bit shakey. From the first sentence even. OK, i've thought about it a moment, and I DON'T think "social manipulation is one of the core tenets of being violent in any MMO". It doesn't even sound like social manipulation is a core tenet of being violent in Eve. All that is described is someone stealing from their own corporation (guild). And he describes a particular example of this type of theft: where the theft is planned from the beginning--which apparently makes it social manipulation? The only difference from other MMOs is that a GM in Eve isn't going to step in and make things right.
The article seems to be more about guild/corporation management, which does involve social manipulation, and in fact can be a very sandboxy thing, but that's true in any MMO, not just Eve.
Not to the degree that EvE does it.
No matter how someone tries to describe it, corporate theft/sabotage in EVE is primarily a matter of exploiting the very weak corporate management tools in the game. There are some very simple ways in which most of these thefts could have been prevented but the game lacks the tools to implement them. Unless you want to seriously handicap your corporation, you have to take the risk that a rogue can clean you out.
You're really missing the point.
When I wrote it, it was a verbal splurge of my thoughts on social manipulation ingame, and the effect that it has on people. What it progressed into, and I'll concede on this, was a little bit of a tip as to how to avoid it. I'll be honest here and say I'm writing for a very mixed group of people. Writing immensely biased articles isn't on my agenda, at least not until I've got a bridge over this ocean.
It's not an article to tell you how to play the game, nor is it a generalization to cover all MMOs because, in truth, no other game offers you the freedom to scam, lie, steal and generally screw over people to the degree that CCP do. Telling you how to scam, the different ways you can do it, and the nuts and bolts of the whole process would be counter-productive. It isn't the sort of thing that anyone can do. As I said in the article, cognitive capacity is a necessity, and a lot of it.
Overall, I'm sorry that you didn't like it, and I can't stop you from taking it out of context; after all, this is the internet. I honestly don't know if you even play the game. No matter, though. Criticism of any kind is appreciated, even if it is ironically vague.
My experience with Eve has been tortuous (to myself) at best.
I am by nature a peaceful non violent person. However the behavior, trash talk, and manipulation of the seeder members of Eve are such that had I been in the same room with those people, they would have been in the hospital I would have been in jail.
I'm not saying there are not cool people to play with and that there is not fun to be had, I even came back 3 times.
I would just say that the level a social violence is beyond that of any game in existence. You have to have a thick skin or the morals a viking raider to survive in the universe of Eve long term. I for one love the design and beauty of Eve but the player enviorment is one I can only tolerate in small short term bursts.
Good luck all in the beautiful sciopathic universe of EVE. I'll likey be back to be a hapless victim some time in the future.
If one was to really think about it, this game provides a freedom not seen in any mmo to date. This freedom does provide a manipulation much like the real world but with repercutions of a different sort. Socializing in EVE is at best tenous with others that you know nothing about, trust has to be earned but even then that trust can be manipulated. Read about many scams and thefts in EVE and even read about those people being targeted an hunted until they either create another alt or quite playing for a bit til things cool down.
To be quite honest social manipulation has got a lot to do with EVE and how it's inhabitants play in it. It affects many things and how people play is that freedom that we who do play eve love.
To be honest, I have played the game non stop for 3 years taking no extended breaks. The ammount of overt social manipulation I have seen in the game the way I play it has been minimal to non existant to they point I would not dignify it with the name of Social Engineering.
Oh it takes place, I know that, and some players see it more than others, and in some places in the game it is more de regure than elsewhere. Its just like this "bleak harsh heartless cuthroat" yada yada that everybody I hear describing this game to other people when describing EVE. I know its there but if its so pervasive why is it I and most of the players I know just don't ever see it unless they actively go looking for it or start doing things that they know will as a part of what they are doing will lead to it?
I have been in small corp wars and commercial rivalries, and even have a little black book of "Oh yes they will pay!" but I have never had the expierience of this drowning in the bile of inhuman viciousness that everyone keeps going on about.
Then again almost all of the people I see talk about this stuff fit into 2 catagories
1)Hardcore Lo/No Sec PVPrs or Corp PVPrs
2)The people who initate or take part in the acts themselves.
Now many people may say that that is the majority of the players in EVE but thats not what the QRs say. Sizable portion, yes, but no where near the majority or players.