Keep Gaming & Reality Separate

Disclaimer: This piece is unlike anything you will normally see on our blog. But in response to a particularly disgusting email we recently received under the guise of news, we felt the need to address the seeking out and publishing of intensely private and personal info by some in the playerbase. This is a form of cyber-stalking and will never be welcome on our blog.

Our blog has often been accused of being a gossip rag and of trying to foster conflict between certain groups. Our response is always the same. 'We report the news of New Eden.' Point of fact, New Eden does not include the personal lives of the people behind the many online avatars. In gaming, there's a line that should not be crossed and it starts with anything that ventures into the real lives of players. Recently we have seen a rash of Dust & EVE conflicts that have spilled over into the real world and we find this both disgusting and unbelievable. Some of you have most certainly lost your way.


Printing the information on a corporations private forums for all to see and publishing the real life address or phone number of a player are not the same thing. We are saddened to find a number of players dont know the difference between the two. For those who believe in 'anything goes' in relation to metagaming we'd advise a psychological exam. You would think this community would learn something after last years Fanfest episode. Cyber stalking, bullying and intimidation doesn't just pertain to children and adolescents. We wont use names in this piece sufficeth to say that some of you need your moral compasses reset. Its inevitable that real world antics like these in gaming will result in real world reactions. When this happens the backlash will be unimaginable, know this: Hell Hath No Fury like the mainstream media. EVE and Dust will suffer and all it ever took to prevent was zero tolerance against this kind of behavior by the community and everyone involved.

More than once in the past two months we have received personal information on players that had nothing at all to do with New Eden. Ask Yourself: What do the living situations, sexual preferences and credit reports of real people have to do with New Eden? We are not and will never be interested in this brand of news. Keep the game within the lines. Blurring this line is dangerous. You may think calling a persons real life phone number is funny, but how many people will still be laughing when an online conflict results in someone showing up at your address? Stories about a death in someone's family, an eviction, real-life health crisis, car repossession or other personal episodes are not welcome here. This behavior is essentially a new brand of cyber-stalking. Know that gaming is at a crossroads where it is repeatedly being used as a scapegoat by mainstream media. Behaviors like these give the people who would like to limit gaming freedoms the ammunition they need. Showcasing real life and sensitive personal info as a means of intimidation is another matter altogether, and has no place in Dust or EVE.

Some of the information sent to us related to people who have criticized our blog in the past, fortunately our editors have integrity. We can't be baited this way. This blog will be deleted and torn down long before we print anything relating to a person's private life with the intent of being hurtful, no matter their relationship with us. This is one instance where 'Internet Spaceships is serious business' may have gone too far.

Stop this brand of behavior immediately. CCP, Dust and EVE dont need the negative publicity and neither does gaming. You play a very dangerous game when you blur the line between gaming and reality, and you threaten gaming as a medium when you behave like this.