Space/Game Development Is A Cruel Mistress
Hey, it’s a scandal du jour! Got sent the following two Eve-related links:
The Hax0rz (the “Reikoku” links are what are referred to below. The person who sent me this link gave me the dire warning: “Don’t register. Make sure your security’s up to date.” Apparently, the incriminating info was gathered from someone literally hax0ring guild message boards.)
The Devel0p3rz
Since I don’t play Eve I can’t comment much about the specifics (much of which is over my head anyway). And if there is some hanky panky going on with dev accounts giving access to blueprints (what seems to be the most toxic complaint), there would be quite enough logs to get someone very fired – which will happen away from the eyes of the public.
However, as someone who’s worked at a developer of PvP games, I can tell you there are three inerrant truths:
- The players will demand that you play your own game.
- The players will be incensed if they suspect you play your own game, because
- The players will be convinced that you are playing the other side.
These are all such accepted truisms, they’ve been relayed to me in person when I talk to players (the “in person” is what usually filters out most of the forum-ish gibberish). “Oh, we KNOW you all play X”. Which I then try to use my Thoughtful Reasoning skill and point out that (a) at a company of over 100 people, there is no monolithic “we all play this side”, and (b) this isn’t just a *game* to the developers, it’s a *career*. You don’t jerk around your career so your toon gets +4 to precasting. It breaks the self-interest test. This usually convinces whom I’m talking to. Sometimes it doesn’t. Because to the players, Occam’s Razor dictates that if there are stupid and clueless “adjustments” coming down that benefit one side unduly, well, there’s a reason for it!
But your players will always be convinced of those three truisms. Which, actually, is a good thing. The fallout is far worse when they figure out you quit playing your own game years ago.