How the Grinch Stole Christmas EVE
by James Egan 
Dec 28th 2009 at 8:00PM
Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, News items
"Curzon Dax stole Christmas." Words I never thought I'd be writing here, but there it is. EVE Online player and forum personality "Curzon Dax" -- perhaps best known for his many song parodies of the game and its players -- has unveiled his in-game IPO for what it really was: a multi-billion ISK confidence scam. Curzon made the announcement on Christmas, no less, and placed the scam at 374.4 billion ISK raised. While the players who were taken for those billions will certainly be less excited by this news, Curzon accomplished something that's becoming less and less common in the game. For every player that uses cunning to profit in New Eden, there is a horde of player alts who resort to copy-paste scams in local chat at most any mission and trade hub in EVE. As these players simply try to profit from mislabeling items in contracts or spam local chat with the ubiquitous "I'm quitting EVE. Send me ISK and I'll send you 10x back!" garbage, Curzon aimed much higher and cultivated an image which he used to draw his marks in.
He was already known for flying pimped battleships with expensive officer modules, but his resources were far less than what most assumed. He said, "To be honest, I've never been worth hundreds of billions of ISK, as most folks think I was. I've been a billionaire, but never the fantastically rich person that I've made myself out to be. It was just an image."
Once Curzon had secured 50 billion ISK with his IPO, he used it to rope investors into giving him even more ISK. He revealed how he pulled it off: "My initial 50 billion ISK offering got me a list of investors. Over the following weeks and months, I got in touch with most of them in person (in addition to other people) and worked out private deals, where each person thought they were going to privately fund a 'shortage' in my IPO in exchange for one of my officer-fit ships. The bulk of my fund-raising came from that.""There's a lot of folks who thought that they're getting an officer-fit Golem, or a Paladin, or a Guardian-Vexor today," he stated on Christmas. Clearly, this was not meant to be.
Ironically, unlike the small-time scammers who always claim to be leaving EVE, Curzon actually is leaving the game. Perpetrating a scam was one thing he'd never done in the nearly six years he had played EVE Online -- his 374 billion ISK haul is also his swan song.
Beyond what he's already given away to players, Curzon is passing on this wealth to another player (who he hasn't named). He said, "While I'm leaving EVE, and the parodies will disappear, all the wealth and officer gear I've acquired isn't going to waste - an unidentified recipient who knows who he/she is already is going to get... well, everything. They've worked hard to make EVE a great game, and my riches are going to be a salary for them that is long overdue, although they're probably rich enough already to make it pointless."
Curzon Dax's statements indicate that he acted alone.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
ethereal.wolf said on 8:25PM 12-28-2009
i don't know why anyone gets taken in by "investment" scams or "banks" anymore. they must be preying off brand new players or something.
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Kyryck said on 8:27PM 12-28-2009
Yet another shining example of why not to play EVE. Ever. This game attracts some good people, yes, but the lawlessness and anonymity granted by the internet allows for the most appalling behavior in any MMO that I've ever seen. Or almost any game for that matter. People routinely cheat, bully, steal, scam and outright destroy other people's gameplay for no better reason than they can. It's a sharp reminder that the law of the jungle still rules the day in some people's minds.
My personal favorite is people who claim that "It's just a game." My response to that is that nowhere are your true motivations and values more apparent than in the games you play, especially when nobody is watching (or in this case, when many are but have no idea who you are and consequences are abrogated by such circumstances.
The actions of this player are despicable but are largely reflective of the game at large: it's a playground for bullies and thieves. The fact that he announced this on Christmas sealed the motivations by the by: he did it with the express purpose of ruining the game for others and then twisting the knife in the wound.
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Loerwyn said on 8:37PM 12-28-2009
I disagree, and quite strongly.
Whilst I've not played EVE, I have respect for CCP and how they've shaped EVE. They have created a world that's true, not one that's nice. Almost every MMO is basically handed to you on a silver platter: You die, nothing is lost. You never find yourself below no currency (i.e. no actual debt) and so forth.
EVE is brutal, just like real business. Companies can rise and fall overnight, and that's how EVE appears to work. If people are 'stupid' enough to fall for your scam, well, it's their problem. CCP rarely get involved because it's easy to cheat the system, and they could be taking ISK that belongs to someone else. In business (and often life) you can't just stomp your feet and your money is back. You have to make conscious, educated decisions - It's what EVE is about.Bullies and Thieves do get to do well in EVE, but that's no different to real life. You go into EVE knowing full well that everything can be lost, and if it happens, then you've little right to complain.
Kudos to the guy who pulled it off. He never exploited or cheated, he simply played the system for what it is.
laephis said on 8:52PM 12-28-2009
Yet another shining example of why EVE is more interesting than every other MMO out there. Instead of fighting Scripted Boss Battle #362, players have the ability to make themselves the villains if they so choose. And you don't even have to play the game to reap the rewards of EVE's freedom and flexibility, as you can read about the latest story from the safety of your own basement. The player-created history of EVE is a million times more compelling than the developer-created lore in other games.
Also, attempting to make moral judgments on other players based on the game only reveals your own shallowness and lack of insight. Do you also heap large amounts of hate and condemnation on the person who killed you in Modern Warfare 2. "It's just a game..." So obviously simple, and yet somehow you dismiss it because it doesn't suit your narrow idea of how a game should be played. Just as people aren't murderers because they blew you up with a rocket launcher in Counter Strike, people aren't evil because they scammed you in EVE. Next time, play smarter. I know I will...
Dblade said on 9:40PM 12-28-2009
It's not so bad as that. No one forced anyone to invest with curzon, and anyone who looked intently could have seen there was no substance to the offer. It's just that you simply cannot trust anyone you don't know well, and even then keep an eye on your corp permissions.
EVE is odd in that the players can be helpful to a point, but in the next breath do gameplay actions that can ruin you, or become incredibly callous.
jslim419 said on 11:03PM 12-28-2009
"If people are 'stupid' enough to fall for your scam, well, it's their problem. CCP rarely get involved because it's easy to cheat the system, and they could be taking ISK that belongs to someone else."
if eve was really a "real world" scenario like you suggest that it is. then the perpetrators of these crimes would be caught, and punished by the authorities. especially when they confess on the law enforcement's community forum.
with the way that incidents of game account theft rise each year, and the still growing popularity of online gaming. i wouldn't be surprised if someone, or a group of someone's petition's their government to add game account theft, and con-games in online games to their government's computer fraud laws.
aurickle said on 10:24AM 12-29-2009
I agree with jslim419. Any society that lasts any amount of time at all in the real world has laws, and one of the first laws created has to do with theft. Eve may be the "wild west" of space, but even the old west had laws and enforcement when you came into town.
As for the "it's only a game" argument, that money didn't magically appear in player bank accounts. It was earned -- often through a lot of very tedious repetition. When you steal from someone in-game like this, you are effectively stealing their time.
Games are supposed to be fun. That's why we play. But when one person's fun comes from the destruction of multiple other people's fun, that is a bad thing for any game that doesn't want to spend its lifetime in niche status. Sooner or later the wolves have driven off all the sheep, and all that's left is other wolves.
UltimateQ said on 11:23AM 12-29-2009
It's a sandbox game. The authority is for the player's to handle. If you want authority, you need to be the enforcer. Since players are not there to enforce, scams run wild.
James said on 1:07PM 12-31-2009
Look up the youtube video of that bratty kid whose mom deleted his WOW account LOL.
I can relate to the loss of ISK (I've had many expensive ships go down in flames), but that's the joy of EVE. It all flows into the same stream. Like in the real world, wealth isn't finite, those that lost it can create more.
Longasc said on 7:13AM 1-02-2010
i could not agree more.
However, I have played EVE and enjoyed it quite a lot.
I just cannot get this: Why do they always have to portray the possibilities and "freedom" of EVE by showcasing scams, jackassery and exploit of game mechanics and all that?
I will give you the TL;DR and quite common description of what this guy did, what happens all the time in EVE:
Bored player robbed the corp hangar before he quit or changed corp.
EVE is a good game, it has its strengths and weaknesses. But what truly is amazing is the ability of CCP, the press and the fanbase to make such a fuss about the most idiotic bullshit that happens in EVE and say "and this is what makes EVE great".
Parasoja said on 10:01AM 1-13-2010
While your theories about morality as it pertains to internet pixels are very interesting, eve just doesn't work like that.
Whether between players or alliances, eve is about competition. The goal is to get ahead, and the only way to do that is at the expense of those you pass on the way.
Tell me: If a scammer who steals billions of isk is morally bankrupt, what about an alliance leader (pick one at random) who starts a war and seizes or destroys enemy assets worth hundreds of billions? Will you assert that he has the ethics of a genocidal dictator?
Conflict on all scales is the soul of eve. Between Curzon and this alliance leader, we have two people playing the game in a legitimate manner. Both take and/or destroy other people's assets, both are better off for it, the same as any other player.
You might say that the difference is betrayal of trust, but again: Eve doesn't work like that. You may notice that no eve players are here crying about their losses or accusing Curzon of being a horrible, horrible person. Is it more likely that we are all sociopaths, or that we are normal people who simply understand that by playing eve we opt in to a vicious, hypercompetitive system?
In eve, the stakes are astronomical and always represent a massive investment of labor. To cope with the fact that sooner or later everybody loses, the eve community has cultivated to a fine art the ability to not take itself too seriously. I recommend following their example when discussing game events, rather than passing moral judgments.
InfamousBrad said on 9:02PM 12-28-2009
Having played EVE Online for a month and a half before making up my mind, I'm not surprised that EVE players rip each other off with scams all day and night: it's something to do. The actual game is dull as dishwater.
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maika said on 9:23PM 12-28-2009
I'd have to agree. I love, no, adore the idea of the game. The player-generated history. The sandbox mentality. Being the villian, or the hero. But the game itself is just SO sleepy.
SgtBaker said on 12:06AM 12-29-2009
Well, it's a sandbox - you make it into what it is.
It's also a very PvP oriented sanbox - tell me, how much PvP did you do? Did you camp gates? Do some frig 1vs1's? Did you take over someones space?
Sandboxes are also social places - did you join a corp? alliance?
No. I bet you stayed all alone in 1.0 and mined and ran missions all day long. In that case -You were doing it wrong. And yeah EVE is really dull game.
People who don't "get" EVE somehow have this notion that the game engine should spawn fun amusement park rides for them, and tell them where to go next. EVE doesn't - it's not what the game is about at all.
breezer said on 10:47AM 12-29-2009
Define "Sandbox"
I've said this before but... for the life of me, I can't see any difference between "Sandbox" and "Content-less"
Take all the quests and instances out of WoW, you have a sandbox.
I don't hate EVE, but I think it does a lot of things poorly (like the absolutely ridiculous, archaic "controls"). One of the things I think it does right though, is allowing the lawless aspect. If nothing else, it's a distinct, interesting feature.
Zanraptora said on 7:42PM 1-02-2010
I find it interesting that you claim that EVE is dull... Yes, at points it is quite dull, and that's why I let my subscription run out now that my pocket change is tight... It's this sort of real player interaction and the off and on engaging PVP that draw players like me in, but the thing that keeps most hardcore EVEers playing is this remarkable "Player-driven" nature of the game's story. I, however, understand that this isn't enough for people such as InfamousBrad here, who prefer games with vastly superior gameplay against EVE's mindgames and confidence schemes.
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Snuffmuffin said on 9:54PM 12-28-2009
This is why I really enjoy EvE.
Yes, it's cutthroat. Yes it's cruel. Yes, it's downright evil.
And in every respect it mimics the real world (albeit in a really cool sci-fi universe).
The wonderful thing about games, really good games, is that they let us explore facets of our lives that we'd otherwise never be able to. If I tried to pull off a scam like this IRL, I'd be pursued by law enforcement, most likely caught, and spend years in jail while my "victims" would most likely never recover what they'd lost. Real life has long ranging consequences that preclude exploration.
In EvE, I can engineer a monumental scam, execute it, and either succeed or fail with no RL consequences. I can explore an ethical quandary with actual consequence, while still knowing that I haven't actually ruined a RL life (though I may well have put a serious dent in a virtual citizen's pocketbook). Police officers will not come knocking on my door. Victims are free to pursue their own forms of revenge.
Folks who enter the sandbox expecting to have an I-Win button (or god-like developers protecting them from their own stupidity) shouldn't play EvE. In the real world we have government and law to insure that we don't do anything truly stupid (and are taken care of if we still manage to). EvE lets players experiment with an endless array of "what if" scenarios. We can experience both the thrill of the predator and the anguish of the prey, and tomorrow morning we'll still have our real lives intact.
It's a game, but it gives us a chance to know how we'd deal with the best and worst of real life.
That's what great games do.
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Graill said on 4:43AM 12-29-2009
EVE doesnt mimick the real world one iota. In EVE there is no consequence unlike the for actions, the lord of the flies lifestyle is slowly killing this small niche game, word of mouth keeps it small, the devs will insure the game dies a slow insignificant death in a few years unless things change. Nearly 5 years and what growth does EVE show? Certainly nothing worth mentioning.
However, this incident along with many others is another shining example of real life being used as a tool to commit real world fraud in a game. Courts will eventually see the profit in prosecuting players and companies like this. Go ahead, i dare you to say it wont happen.
I Heard some Bernie character was once an EVE subscriber, though this may just be rumor.
Have a happy new year!!!
HackJack said on 5:14AM 12-29-2009
"EVE doesnt mimick the real world one iota. In EVE there is no consequence unlike the for actions"
There I got a hunch you're not going to actually demonstrate something but simply spew out poorly thought ideas.
">>>Courts>profit
Kole said on 6:05AM 12-29-2009
"In EVE there is no consequence unlike the for actions, the lord of the flies lifestyle is slowly killing this small niche game, word of mouth keeps it small, the devs will insure the game dies a slow insignificant death in a few years unless things change. Nearly 5 years and what growth does EVE show? Certainly nothing worth mentioning."
EVE is growing not dying. They just recently (Dec. 7th) set a new concurrent record for the number of players on the server at one time, 54,181. This summer they surpassed the 300,000 subscriber mark. That also means that it matched or surpassed the number of subscribers that WAR had around that time.