Saturday, November 3, 2012

Why Miners Refuse to Pay, Part 1

While the best and brightest of highsec are quite eager to comply with the Code, many miners refuse to pay--at least, for awhile. The question of why a miner would refuse to purchase a 365-day mining permit for 10 million isk is one of the great conundrums of highsec. It's indisputable that paying for a permit is economically rational; it's simply too easy for bumpers to cost a miner more than 10 million isk in a year. Indeed, when it comes to AFK ice miners, a bumper can deprive his target of 10 million or more with barely any effort whatsoever.


I came across Ice Slicer some time ago. She was illegally mining in the Halaima ice field until I brought her criminal activity to a halt.


A lot of miners use the classic Miner Bingo line that goes, "even if it's economically rational to pay, I refuse to pay out of principle". This is preposterous, since highsec miners have no principles. They are quite willing to bot, AFK mine, evade wardecs, etc. while engaging in solo "gameplay" that they find too boring to hold their attention. They do this all for isk. Yet if they are motivated entirely by isk, why not do the economically rational thing?


Clearly, there's something more at work. Miners are motivated by isk, but they must also be motivated by something else--something that enables them to justify behaving in an economically irrational manner. I decided to find out what it is.


I sent Ice Slicer a convo request. It's rare that I'm the one sending the request, but I wanted to delve into her psyche. Perhaps if I could find out what makes her tick--or rather, what makes her not tick--I could fix her.


IS was concerned that if she paid for a mining permit, it would hurt her reputation. Even though she was admittedly an alt.


The conversation had only just begun, but we were making good progress. IS would think less of herself if she purchased a mining permit. Time for me to put on my "counselor" hat again.


Unlike all of the NPC and player entities to which IS routinely paid money, I was a "pretty minor entity". Quite a comment by a random ice miner speaking to the Father of the New Order, author of one of EVE's most popular blogs! These are the times when the Saviour of Highsec earns his paycheck. I was here to help the miner identify and repair her cognitive dysfunction, not defend my own ego. I remained focused and professional.


There was no doubt about it. Ice Slicer was a self-hating miner!


I tried to help her concentrate on achieving her goals. She was allowing her own irrational impulses to control her, to thwart her. That's not a sign of strength, but of weakness.


Once more, the miner felt paying my fee would degrade her... into a miner.


IS had serious hang-ups, no question. If I could get to the bottom of her issues, maybe there was hope for all non-paying miners. I'm confident their non-payment comes from a similar place.


Ice Slicer's honesty presented a rare opportunity. Most miners have difficulty articulating exactly why they feel so averse to paying even when consciously aware it's in their own best interest. IS believed paying me 10 million isk to avoid being bumped for 365 days would have serious out-of-game effects. What could she possibly mean by that?

To be continued...

14 comments:

  1. Billie Bob Joe in Houston shouldn't personally be affected by what happens to his character. EVE is one big story that we all help write. That's why there's plenty of "normal" humans who play complete asshole capsuleers - it's interesting and entertaining, even if we ourselves would never cross those moral bounds. If you can't separate game from reality, and draw that line you are not enjoying EVE to its full potential.

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  2. Paying for a permit it's clearly economically rational but i am pretty sure the rational part it's not the strongest part of any eve-online miner.

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  3. So to understand this better, an ice mining ALT doesn't want to feel like she is an ice mining alt. I'm almost... lost in that rationale.

    ~Murk Paradox

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  4. Have you considered that your whole organization sounds like a typical EVE scam? I notice many of your posts are about people who have paid your fee yet continued to be subjected to your harassment, debasement and threats. You are like so many pirates who demand a ransom, except THEY actually live up to their word to let the victim go. It actually helps their cause to be truthful. You actually point your victims to this site so they can see your dishonesty, and you still wonder why someone wouldn't pay you.

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    Replies
    1. When has an Agent of the New Order bumped someone who is mining in accordance with the New Halaima Code of Conduct? You imply that there are examples on this blog, can you point to one?

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    2. He said "..continued to be subjected to your harassment, debasement and threats."

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  5. What so many fail to understand, is that by trying to petition against everything that upsets your little mind is an attempt to take away what is the most precious thing in Eve.. freedom. If this game is too hard on your psyche and makes you cry "unfair", then go back to the kids games like WoW, Guildwars, Diablo III or SWTOR.

    If you wish to oppose James 315, then do it in-game. But there is a another way. Do not oppose him, make fun of him, refuse to pay and ignore him. Playing games is about entertainment, and James provides.. usually at the expense of those who take this too seriously.

    I think he's laughing his XL ass off while writing this blog and/or local. For he masterfully makes fun of you AND himself.. at the same time!! :D

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  6. James:

    "Slippery slope". These are the only two words you should expect to hear from any sane miner. You say ten million today, you may choose to say eleven million tomorrow. You say one year today, you may choose to say one month tomorrow.

    Cast against the slippery slope, all your high-handed sophistry is nothing. Please biomass your toons and go troll some other game.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, James himself has said, he can stop someone from mining if he so chooses, the payment is no guarantee. The only "guarantee" we have is his word and that is not exactly a foundation to build on.

      The man has no honor.

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    2. Jock Spencer: Where did James bump you?

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    3. "In debate or rhetoric, a slippery slope (also known as thin end of the wedge - or sometimes "edge" in US English - or the camel's nose) is a classic form of argument, arguably an informal fallacy. A slippery slope argument states that a relatively small first step leads to a chain of related events culminating in some significant effect, much like an object given a small push over the edge of a slope sliding all the way to the bottom.[1] The strength of such an argument depends on the warrant, i.e. whether or not one can demonstrate a process which leads to the significant effect. The fallacious sense of "slippery slope" is often used synonymously with continuum fallacy, in that it ignores the possibility of middle ground and assumes a discrete transition from category A to category B. Modern usage avoids the fallacy by acknowledging the possibility of this middle ground."

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    4. Jock, James has yet to go back on his word. In all the months, and countless miners, he has STILL maintained what he set out to do. Read the Code. It is provisioned.

      ~Murk Paradox

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  7. *shrugs* No one trust anyone in eve to uphold there word, blame goonswarm!

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  8. I always figured that alot of people aren't actually playing. Its not a game its an extension of reality. Steal an hours worth of isk from them, you just stole an hour of their life so you are impacting on their reality. Your certainly hurting their leisure time, time where they are trying to relax and forget the pain/frustrations of the real world. Its the same as rolling a warrior tank in world of warcraft then tanking dungeons and needing on every gun/bow that drops. Then vendering it. Matters Irl? not really. Causes tears and stress to the player of the hunter who might have to play another 15hrs of boring dungeons to see his upgrade again? defo.

    The reality of Ice slicer is obviously one of not being a professional miner (just doing it for isk) and not being a VICTIM. Ofc she isnt going to pay you. To be honest from her world view Irl if she did pay you it would have real world damage to her ego and might change how she plays the game if it makes her feel empathy towards the people she sees as her victims.

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