Zero Kelvin

Are alts ruining the game?

by Nathan on Mar.01, 2009, under EVE

CrazyKinux’s blogroll banter discuss a monthly topic and I thought I’d give my feedback on the same topic, even though I’m not in the blogroll.

This month’s question is posed by Mynxee of Life in Low Sec and it is:

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”?“

My short answer is Yes.

Why you ask, well I’ll tell you. EVE is an MMO, a game which lives on interaction between players.

Each action that is performed by an alt, be it hauling, missionrunning, invention, PVP or any other aspect of the game, is removed from the list that has to be performed by fellow players.

For example, a LVL4 mission is quite hard for a half year old player but quite easy for a year old player. Which would be more MMO, adding an alt to add DPS or another player from you corp or maybe even local?

Alt-phenomenons like Cynoing and Trading would require you actually travelling by ship to a “mid cyno” going out into deep 0.0 and lighting a cyno or jumpclone to Jita to adjust your orders.

Would this hurt the game? I don’t think so.

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5 comments for this entry:
  1. Cyber
    March 1st, 2009 on 16:16

    So you are saying that in some cases it’s good and some it’s bad? Doesn’t make much sense like that…it’s either or :D.

    And I also don’t agree with you for one main reason that you stated…just because EVE is an MMO does not mean people HAVE to play with other people…it simply means the option is there. It’s a game like any other game…people should play it however it is fun for them.

  2. Ga'len
    March 1st, 2009 on 17:17

    Interesting response mate. Could you expand a bit as to why you think using alts is ruining the game? I would like to see your whole viewpoint on this one.

    BTW, check for typos in your post, I will correct your title on the linking.

  3. Nathan
    March 2nd, 2009 on 11:11

    Hi Galen, of course I will expand my thoughts. And the typo in the title is probably in the permalink, tought I’d changed it since I liked this title more than “ruining”.

  4. Me, Myself, and I « The Ralpha Dogs
    March 2nd, 2009 on 20:20

    [...] Zero Kelvin, Are alts running the game? [...]

  5. The Handicapper General — EVE Chick
    March 3rd, 2009 on 3:03

    [...] Zero Kelvin, Are alts ruining the game? [...]

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