CSM Meeting – November 29th, 2019



As always, there’s not any specific information to share due to the confidentiality of the discussions.



The group discussed the announcement of the HyperNet Relay and the release of the CSM Summit minutes.



Brief discussion of future CSM meetings and the Spring CSM Summit.



Introductions and discussion around some of the changes to how the Development teams function at CCP.



Detailed talk on the design timeline of a specific item.



General chat about upcoming system tests and what information the tests are planning to surface.



The CSM brought up a few issues to discuss in more detail with the appropriate teams.

Dunk’s Corner



The news of Hypernet Relay is now public and being discussed. EVE players should know what I, as a CSM think about the feature in detail and with clarity. Some will not agree with my viewpoint, but it’s expected that I present it plainly.



I am in favor of the Hypernet raffle and think many players will enjoy it.

While I do have a few concerns, I agree with the overall plan and support the implementation.



Somer Blink, IWantISK, and other raffle sites were hugely popular with players until they were shut down. I think HyperNet Relay will be popular with players as well.



First, let’s discuss legality. I’m not a lawyer with specialization in national gambling laws and video gaming policies. in short, I’m just not going to get into discussion and arguments about this aspect. While there are many that think they can google their way into a law degree, I don’t share that opinion.



In thinking considering a new feature, I look at it in terms of ‘pros’ and ‘cons’



On the Pro side, I like the idea of high value items getting back into circulation, the opportunity to make some ISK, the fun of raffles. and CCP making some more revenue.



On the Con side, there are risks with children and people with addiction problems getting sucked into spending ISK and money that they shouldn’t.



From what I read, there seems to be a basic divide between those that are generally against gambling at an ethical level and those that are fine with it. A lot of the dispute seems to arise from this. I’m not going to bridge that gap. People on the internets do not often change their mind by reading an essay.



Personally, I think the downsides can be managed and this will turn into a popular feature that is well regarded, much as abyssal mutaplasmids did. I think CCP has given this a lot of thought and is prepared to manage the situation if problems arise.



Obviously, some will not agree, but EVE players deserve to know my position on the topic.