[OOC] SuicideGate and The Mittani

So as I was getting ready to eat dinner, I saw a few Twitter updates from @TheMittani about some comments he made during the Alliance Panel at FanFest.  Looking into it, I found this article on Eurogamer.com.  Checking the forums, I quickly found not only the already 20+ page thread reacting to what he said, but also his apology thread as well.


Let me begin by making this point clear: I am not trying to attack The Mittani, nor do I question the fact that he did lead the most successful CSM in history.  While ingame, I hate the Goonswarm with the fire of a thousand suns, I respect The Mittani for the ingame roleplaying he does, and his leadership in making the Goonswarm what it is today.  This is about his comments at FanFest, and what they represent coming from the Chair of the CSM, not the CEO of Goonswarm.  I do not believe that The Mittani should necessarily step down, but it would provide CCP with a legal way out of the developing media scandal.


This is a big deal, not only for EVE but for CCP as a whole.  The CSM7 election results have already been released, and The Mittani received over ten thousand votes, well above the closest competition.  Mainly due to being the CEO of the undeniably evil alliance Goonswarm, The Mittani also successfully campaigned on being a part of the CSM during the most tumultuous year of EVE.  That being said, he is known in EVE as an unabashedly arrogant and unethical asshole.  And that's what's great about EVE, you are allowed (and even encouraged) to live an alternate persona.  But when Mittens (as he is more commonly known) drunkenly discussed a player that admitted he was contemplating suicide, and then when asked further, said (on camera streaming live to thousands of EVE players) "Incidentally, if you want to make the guy kill himself, his name is [redacted]," Alex said, adding that "he has his own corp. Find him."


This is not OK.  But here's the thing, EVE is notorious for it's harsh and unforgiving community.  It is not a place for kids, or those with low self-esteem.  It is also a game, and one that does not require mental stability, but does not force someone to play or care.

However, The Mittani is (and would've been, we'll see what CCP does) the Chairman of the CSM.  Thus, he is at once the voice of the playerbase and the main liason between CCP and said playerbase.  So far, he has done a decent job of being both the CSM Mittani, and Mittani the CEO of the axis-of-evil Goonswarm, keeping the two personalities separate.  But this drunken gaffe... This is a CCP-sanctioned representative, speaking at a panel hosted by CCP, who is advocating cyber-bullying, specifically targeting a  player who previously admitted suicidal thoughts.  As CSM chair, The Mittani has a large public forum to speak from and to, but personal attacks such as this display an arrogant abuse of power.  He has posted a sincere sounding apology, and at least on twitter, stated that he will resign from the chairmanship.  I would like to believe his sincerity, but for now, it depends on what he does next.

More importantly, CCP Games has to get in front of this, and fast.   While the list of MMO news sites throwing stories about SuicideGate up are growing by the hour, CCP has already said it is "investigating" the event.  The CSM is a unique opportunity in gaming, being the first and only player-elected council that interacts with and works with the developers closely.  FanFest was amazing, from a PR perspective, and awesome from a player's perspective.  It's a shame that this scandal has to mar such a great event.

I watched the Alliance Panel, and while I personally did not like many of the Alliance panel members, The Mittani seemed to me to be the most arrogant and overproud panelist.  I heard his comments, and they disturbed me greatly.  I've tried writing about this since then, and it has made me confront issues of my own, but confronted them I did (as Yoda would say).

I would just like to clarify (for those who haven't had problems with depression) that telling someone you are suicidal, especially to an anonymous stranger (as 99% of EVE players are to each other), is not an attempt at attention, but a cry for help.  Telling someone, even a stranger, that you would like to kill yourself is not something you just say nonchalantly.  It takes a lot to confess such a painful and personal problem.

EVE is full of attention-whoring, and you Goons are the masters of it (which is an art in its own right, and while I hate you for it, I gotta respect the talent), but threats of suicide aren't equal.  You never know how serious someone is when they say they want to commit suicide, but you NEVER TAKE THE CHANCE.  Life is precious, no matter your religion (or lack of one), politics (or lack of one), or morals (or lack thereof).  That he is alive and well is wonderful, but IT COULD BE DIFFERENT THE NEXT TIME.

This is a big deal, not because he really did kill himself, but that the CSM (who happens to be The Mittani) advocated players harrassing him into ACTUALLY KILLING HIMSELF.  This is not so much about The Mittani (tho he admits he is an unrepentant *** ingame, which I also respect for the RP factor [and screw all the RP haters, flame on doughboys]) but about the CSM as representative of the community, and the Chair being the face and voice of said CSM.