"…you see mate, it's a matter of leverage, savvy?…"

Welcome to the fifth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed here. Check out other EVE Blog Banter

This month’s topic comes to us from Mynxee of Life in Low Sec. She asks “Alts and Metagaming: Is playing two accounts who are logged in at the same time and work together (hauler/miner, explorer/combat associate, trade alts in trade hubs) a form of metagaming that is “ruining the game”?“

To answer Mynxee’s question you have to understand the terminology.  So, what is metagaming?  We will use the definition that is available on the famous and/or infamous Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metagaming_(role-playing_games.

In role-playing games, metagaming is the use of out-of-character knowledge in an in-character situation. A character played by a metagamer does not act in a way that reflects the character’s in-game experiences and back-story.

Metagaming is a tough topic, mainly due to the passion that surrounds it.  When most people are complaining on the EVE forums about metagaming,  they end up using language and definitions in the wrong context.  It’s impossible to remove metagaming from a game for the simple reason that we are all human beings.  Some of us are good at math, others at tactical thinking, some are more confident while under stress in a combat situation while others, not so much.  We all bring certain skills to a game that will affect the various outcomes of situations we encounter.  I will now make the following statement as it needs to be said:

It’s not whether or not metagaming exists, it’s whether or not the game play would have a different outcome as a result of metagaming.  That’s the real issue.

Now to understand the argument and both parts of the question Mynxee has asked, let’s use the following examples of a freighter pilot both with and without an alt scout:

Example 1, the solo freighter pilot.

We will call this pilot, pilot A.  Pilot A has just left Jita with a large volume of expensive goods in his cargo hold.  He takes the shortest route to his destination which will take him through low security space.  When he jumps into a low sec system, his ship is caught by a gate camp.  He is ransomed and refuses to pay the ransom.  As a consequence, his ship is destroyed and he has lost all that expensive material that was in his cargo hold.

Example 2, the freigher pilot with an alt scout.

The freighter pilot, Pilot A has just left Jita with a large volume of expensive goods in his cargo hold.  He takes the shortest route to his destination which will take him through low security space.   Pilot B, flying a scouting ship, is leading Pilot A along his route.  When Pilot B jumps into a low security system, he sees a gate camp.  Pilot A, seeing this danger on his second account, stops his ship, changes his autopilot settings and takes a safer route to his destination.

Now I have seen many posts on the EVE forums claiming that an example such as our example 2 constitutes metagaming.  Pilot A would not have known about the dangerous gate camp if he was not running a second account with Pilot B scouting ahead for him.  That argument is valid.  It is metagaming.

Why?

In our example, both pilots A and B are the same person.  Technically information obtained from Pilot B affected the actions of Pilot A.  Since both pilots are the same person in the real world,  it is use of out of character knowledge from Pilot B with the intention of  affecting the actions of Pilot A.  It is metagaming in it’s simplest form.

Now for the second part of the question.  Does the use of an alt, such as Pilot B, provide a different result in game play if Pilot B was not the same person as Pilot A.  Does such activity ruin the game?

Ulimately, no. Why?

If Pilot B had been an another EVE player, possibly a corp mate, alliance mate or simply a kind person who was helping Pilot A, would Pilot A have not altered his course to avoid the danger?  Of course he would.  Pilot A would have taken the information from the other player, stopped his ship and found a safer route regardless.   It is a moot point if Pilot B was the same person as Pilot A, the game play results of the information concerning the gate camp in low security space would have been the same.  Pilot A would have changed course to avoid the danger.

Again, say it with me now:

It’s not whether or not metagaming exists, it’s whether or not the game play would have a different outcome as a result of metagaming. That’s the real issue.

Many people make the claim that alt accounts will ruin the game as many alts are paid for using GTC or PLEX cards purchased with in game money.  As a result, CCP is not making as much real world money as it should be making.

This agrument is simply not true.  Remember, someone had to pay real world money for those GTC’s and PLEX cards.  Most of that money does make it back to CCP, so that argument is not valid.  The game is not ruined as CCP is making all the money it should be making from alt accounts.

And finaly, my favorite argument is the infamous “Falcon Alt” ruining the game argument.  Many PvP pilots have a second account simply to run a Falcon pilot.  Now granted, this is again a perfect example of metagaming as the Falcon alt exists from using the out of game knowledge that ECM will make a PvP pilot more effective.

Does running a Falcon alt ruin the game?

Again, no.

As much as we all do hate being continually jammed by a Falcon pilot, the results of the game play would be the same if both the PvP pilot and the Falcon pilot were different people working together.  So again, repeat after me:

It’s not whether or not metagaming exists, it’s whether or not the game play would have a different outcome as a result of metagaming. That’s the real issue.

EVE is a game where you have to have people working together.  For those of us who find ourselves in the situation where we are alone, having alts allows us to level the playing field a bit.  It allows you to have variety in your game play and experience all that EVE has to offer.  It allows you to leverage your abilities to enhance your game play just as effectively as if you were working with another person.

Anyone remember the ‘Power of Two’ promotions that happen every now and again?  Ever visited the character bazzar on the EVE forums?  Alt accounts and alt characters are a built in feature of the game.  It’s something that we are in fact encouraged to use and thus enhance our game play.

So, is the use of alt accounts metagaming?  I think we have shown here that that is in fact the case.

Does the use of alt accounts ruin the game as a result?  Again, I think we have shown here that alt accounts do not ruin the game, they in fact enhance it.

Please do read these other fine posts on this month’s Blog Banter!!!

~ by JRC on February 25, 2009.

Posted in General

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