With the recent completion of the 3rd installment of the Hulkageddon last month, @CyberinEVE, author of Hands Off, My Loots!, asks: “Griefing is a very big part of EVE.  Ninja Salvaging, Suicide Ganking, Trolling, and Scamming are all a very large part of the game.  What do you think about all these things?  You can talk about one, or all…but just let us know your overall opinion on Griefing, and any recommendations you may have to change it if you think it’s needed.”

Immortals. Respected, revered gods of infinite space. Masters of destiny, commanders of ships that are beyond comprehension to mere man. Shapers of the universe, that is how we like to see ourselves.

Closer to the truth is that we are privileged and spoiled children, rich kids who balk when every little thing doesn’t goes our way. Yes, that titan class ship cost several billion isk – that same isk that could’ve sustained an entire region’s civilization for at least a decade; too bad for you, pilot.

But I was griefed, Roc; that’s not fair! Who said anything about life having to be fair? Get over it.

Most capsuleers don’t fly solo; they prefer the safety that comes from hunting in packs. Why target something that could actually fight back when you can just blob things? Prey on the weak, the defenseless, that should be the slogan of the pod pilot.

It isn’t as if you aren’t given recourse. You can have your revenge, without CONCORD interference, for up to thirty days after the incident. I know, space is big, and it’s nearly impossible to find a single ship in its vastness.

You could also put a bounty on another pilot; make it high enough and someone might actually hunt them down for you and serve up that revenge cold, just the way papa likes it.

It’s a harsh universe out there. Man up.

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As a player, my view is opposite that of my character. I prefer the Jay and Silent Bob approach. The anonymity of the internet does nothing but enable poor behaviour when it comes to video games. I’ve been taunted by 10 year olds on XBox Live, as they squat on my corpse in Halo 3, reminding me how badly I suck. I’ve been ganked in EVE by multiple wing fleets, as they squat on my corpse, reminding me how badly I suck… wait, well, you get the idea.

Regardless of real age, many players abuse anonymity, resorting to being spoiled children who will never know consequence. Flawed mechanics? Maybe.

But man, there are times when I want to just reach through the screen to one of those grinning asshats on the other side that derives some sense of real life toughness and accomplishment from a victory in a video game and punch them in the face … hard.

It sounds silly on their end when you think about it; real self worth through virtual means. Get a life.

It sounds silly on my end when you think about it; letting a game get me so angry that I wish physical violence upon a human being I’ve never even met. Get a life.

Man, I’m on a good ramble now. What the hell is my point here?

I think ultimately I’m trying to say that a game is just a game; it’s meant to entertain. If you don’t like the particular game you’re playing, for ANY reason:

• griefing
• poor support
• flimsy development
• lack of interesting things to do
• unusable stability on MAC
• etc, etc

Then you need to remember that  ultimately it is just a game. You can put it down and walk away. You can go for a leisurely stroll or run, maybe even a bike ride; feel some real life sunshine on your face, maybe a breeze through your hair.

Never lose perspective on why we play games in the first place.