Reality cheque
Bit of a Friday quirky this: a virtual bank found in MMO (massively multiplayer online) game EVE Online has been the victim of embezzlement by its in-game CEO, in order for him to raise funds in the real world.
The player, a 27-year-old Australian tech worker who uses the game name Ricdic, told Reuters it was an "on the spot decision," taken to overcome real-life difficulties. He rinsed EBank, of which he was the in-game CEO, to the tune of 200 billion interstellar kredits (ISK), which he then flogged on for $6,300 Australian (£3,073).
Players are supposed to accumulate game currency by doing stuff in the game like trading, working, stealing, etc, and so according to the rules of the game Ricdic didn't apparently do anything wrong when he stole. It was only selling the ISK for real cash that has got him banned from the game.
Black markets offering game currency, items and even developed characters in exchange for real money have long been a fixture of the MMO world, but are not usually endorsed by the people who run them.
Ricdic's actions caused a Northern Rock style run on EBank as other gamers panicked and removed their deposits. "I'm not proud of it at all, that's why I didn't brag about it," he said. "But you know, if I had to do it again, I probably would've chosen the same path based on the same situation."
You can read the official EBank thread on EVE Online's forums here, and see the response of some gamers to the Reuters story on an unofficial forum here.
