Forums » Role Playing

Moral ramifications of separate VO economy based on player slavery

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Mar 18, 2017 Stella Bovinus Collective link
[100] <Blaqk> Selling 12-Month Subscription code/key 890m each / 1-Month 100m each ~ /msg "Blaqk" I take trades for capital parts
[100] <Blaqk> Pumpkin_Magician open your eyes
[100] <Blaqk> I can unlock the door but you have to be the one to open it.
[100] <Blaqk> Have you ever subscribed before?
[100] <Blaqk> Have you ever used a friend key before?
[100] <Pumpkin_Magician> probably expired
[100] <Blaqk> Make a new email and account
[100] <Pumpkin_Magician> no thanks Blaqk. Im okay with this one
[100] <Blaqk> I'll send you a 14 day key for free, and show you how to get a XC in 10mins and 100m in 24 hours.
[100] <Blaqk> From there you can buy a FULL subscription for any account you want
[100] <Blaqk> for 100m, from me. ;^)
[100] <Blaqk> From there the sky is the limit
[100] <Blaqk> You in?
[100] <Pumpkin_Magician> lemme do a new account
[100] <Blaqk> Great see you soon.

Blaqk is creating a separate VO economy niche in VO based on exploiting new players as his slaves to further his in game agenda.

Once you go down that path - he owns you.

Only one you can buy gift keys from for in game money is him and any player that signs this contract with the devil effectively sells his soul to Blaqk and becomes a slave labor producing in game money for Blaqks needs.

It's wrong on so many levels that I cannot fathom how Incarnate can allow this.
Mar 18, 2017 Mi5 link
It may be morally wrong, but it is very effective at creating trained players who are subscribed and equipped.

I provide assistance with my Trident Type M and provide the information and experience to train a pilot in 6 hours what I had to learn over a decade, which they can then apply for under 24 hours and then play VO for free for 44 days and 8 hours while guild software still receives a full price month of subscription.

In no way am I forcing anybody to buy subscription from me, they make that choice on their own.
Mar 18, 2017 joylessjoker link
It's not slavery if the workers are compensated in some way that is satisfactory and agreeable to them. Whether if they are being ripped off is another matter.

If black wants to throw wads of cash at other people to keep them subscribed, which is a dumb use of irl money btw, it's his money to use in whatever fashion he wants.
Mar 18, 2017 Stella Bovinus Collective link
@MI5

Everyone who decides to make a deal with the devil sells their soul out of their own volition.
Just like drug dealers give you to sample their good for free and then you come back to buy more out of your own free volition.

@joylessjoker
I disagree, it is a slavery of a kind we see every day in real world.
Blaqk is your dealer and your pimp.
He gives you a free sample and as any good pimp shows you how to earn money you need to pay him to get another gift key.
Players, instead of playing the game for their own enjoyment have to devote most of their online time to earning money for Blaqk so they can afford another gift key.

This effectively creates a private niche economy inside VO for the benefit of one player.

Moral ramifications of allowing this practice will, sooner or later, hit Guild Software in the face because no matter how dirty the gaming industry can be - openly and shamelessly allowing this blatant exploitation to go on will label GS as morally corrupt company forever.
Mar 18, 2017 Mi5 link
I'm sure Guild Softwares recent boost to their income only benefited me, and not the 50 or so new pilots with equipment, subscription and intel.

They are a business, and here to make money. Stop comparing them to holy men.

Many major games operate similar functions such as http://www.runescape.com/bonds with a large success at removing real world trade and the Chinese effect.

The only reason you are upset is because I happen to benefit from this, have you considered the math of over 7000 years of subscription?
Mar 18, 2017 Phaserlight link
Although the thread title indicates it's ostensibly about VO as a whole, the thread content is generally about in-game events (complete with an opening that's 15 lines of chat quotation); as such, I'll likely be moving this to Role Playing.
Mar 18, 2017 Mi5 link
If anything I'm a slave to VO now.
Mar 18, 2017 Stella Bovinus Collective link
This is not a role playing topic Phaserlight, it concerns the community as a whole and Guild Software as a company.
Mar 18, 2017 Phaserlight link
Not really, SBC, unless you literally think Blaqk is dealing in slavery. If so, seek counseling.
Mar 18, 2017 Stella Bovinus Collective link
Don't take my words too literary Phaserlight, you are smarter then that.
If you want to hide this topic from general populace and try to shield GS from their culpability in this, just say so - it won't change the fact that this is happening and it's going to have serious ramifications.
Mar 18, 2017 Phaserlight link
To put it less sardonically; if you were interested in having an even-handed discussion about the real-world ramifications of the in-game transactions in question, you could have done it without invoking "slavery" in the title or your post body. With respect, you are using emotionally-laden language as opposed to logic. As such, I don't think you are interested in a productive discussion as much as you are in stirring up drama.

That's tolerated to an extent in Role Playing. It's not tolerated in General.

[moved]
Mar 18, 2017 Stella Bovinus Collective link
Np, I can always post this on twitter and other social media, it will surely get far more exposure then in VO general forum.
Mar 18, 2017 Mi5 link
Do it.
Mar 18, 2017 Stella Bovinus Collective link
Mashable, Endgadget, Tech Crunch, Ars Technica & Medium - will that work for you?
Mar 18, 2017 Luxen link
As detestable as I consider this, its also completely fine as far as I care or know for Blaqk to "sell" subscription passes. I completely understand how some people may not be able to subscribe through normal means, and while I don't particularly care for how Blaqk is "training" his buyers, That is personal preference and such. Ultimately, if GS continues to allow Blaqk to "sell" his subscription passes, then there isn't much argument here.
Mar 18, 2017 Sieger link
you are smarter then that.

Well I'm not sure if Bojan is smarter then that. :-P

On topic:

Dude, stop whining... It's a fair counter argument to say that it's not really a smart use of RL money. But that's only right to an extent where you risk getting into financial problems. And I believe Blaqk has made some pretty damn good deals in his job lately, so he's got cash to blow.

And you must either HATE this game or be an utter IDIOT if you COMPLAIN about him giving it to Guild Software. For all I care he could sell even more Sub-keys that he paid GS for with cash. I wouldn't care even if YOU did it. Sure I'd drop a sneaky remark over it and make fun of you. But I'd do that about everything you do. Simply because we're enemies in this game. What I would NOT do is create a whiney thread in the General boards complaining so much until the guides move it into RP. That's just freaking dumb.

And nobody is falling into "slavery". People are happy that they can play the game they like. They trade some pixels for it and enjoy their playtime. Blaqk isn't putting them in chains in his basement. What the hell is wrong with you?

Get over yourself. Be happy GS is getting cash. Maybe Blaqk sells so much sub keys that they can finally hire a fourth developer again...
Mar 18, 2017 Stella Bovinus Collective link
@Phaserlight

Your sheer panic reaction upon realizing the possible ramifications of what I pointed out here that forced you to hop in game and advise Blaqk to move advertising his scheme and coercing players to participate in it from VO general chat to Discord won't help.
VO chat logs going back from the day he started advertising his scheme exist and are all saved.

@Sieger

I have absolutely no objections on anyone investing their own money into GS. It's their money and they are free to do with it whatever they want.
This is not the issue here - the issue is his elaborate scheme to turn his investment into GS into his personal in-game gain by coercing and exploiting other players who are not fortunate enough to have the money to pay for subscriptions.
Mar 18, 2017 Sieger link
Blaqk - as everyone else - should be allowed to advertise that on channel 100. Aslong as he doesn't "spam" it, it's fine.

Phaserlight: (I'll assume Bojan is not lying and Phaserlight really told Blaqk to move it somewhere else) Don't be scared Phaserlight. Bojan is just a talker. He knows he can't do anything about it, or he would have ran to the developers to "report" this. Since he knows he can't do anything, he picked the route of complaining and trying to "shame" people. Old strategy.
Mar 18, 2017 Stella Bovinus Collective link
You are wrong Sieger. This is not "complaining & shaming" thread.
This is a "wake up call" thread I made out of curtesy for the people who made this game which I like to play.

I have no doubts that Incarnate allowed Blaqk some leeway on account of his recent investment and thus created a "pay to win" scenario not yet seen in VO in spite of his, over a decade long, assurances that VO will never become pay to win game and the current VO EULA.
This is the main reason why the "support ticket way" was not really an option.

Ultimately, Incarnate will need to respond to this thread and try to clear this mess out.
Depending on his response, unnecessary escalation and spreading of this topic to social media relevant to gaming scene does not need to happen.
Mar 18, 2017 myacumen link
INC clearly doesn't give two flying fucks otherwise cheaters and exploiters would be banned from the game. This will get swept under the rug like everything else does. This game is quickly on the path to surrpass No Mans Sky as biggest gaming disappointment