The Next Level Of The CSM
Perhaps my last blog entry was taken a bit too far by some people because it seems Ankhesentapemkah has been having a little drama with CCP and achieved a level of infamy few would care for. Of course, noone beyond Ankhesentapemkah or CCP actually know the details and as such it's wise to stay a bit quiet on that one. So that's going to be the sum of my input on that subject, praise be to Google.
Moving away from that particular incident but still with the CSM, I notice a general sway now of CSM members toward a “we represent the players” stance away from “I stand for this particular issue”. However this was not the case during the elections with many being pushed and delivering promises on particular stances. I think one of the best examples of this general feeling is by Teadaze in this thread and confirmed later in the thread by Sokratesz.
I hope that the representation of players in general, competency, open-mindedness and determination to work hard is a trend that continues. There are so many issues in the game you cannot really have any CSM member just in it for the one angle any more. Areas of interest is one thing, sitting on particular issues is another.
On that note, despite the recent bump on the road that is going on now I think the CSM is doing an awesome job of raising issues and discussing matters rationally with CCP regardless of what the CCP response may be! This gives me a lot of hope for the future of the CSM however I am going to urge we exercise caution when voting candidates in next time.
The reason for this is that I do not believe that Larkonis or Ankhesentapemkah have done the image of the CSM any good in CCP's eyes not to mention the eyes of the silent. Any damage CSM members do can be held up as an example of poor conduct by the decision makers at CCP and in the climate where they are being intractable this is a less than desirable situation.
Decorum and maturity are fit words to use here. If we can't catch this at the beginning and with longer terms now in place perhaps the CSM could be a little more self-policing and be given the power to remove members when it comes to conduct before we get to more damaging stages? Looking at the raw meeting logs it's pretty obvious when someone isn't playing ball and there is a big difference between a simple difference of opinion to obstinacy and time-wasting. A nice expel vote might bring delegates in line.
Moving on, Hulkageddon III is going nicely. I notice in a system I live in that one particular corporation is offering miner protection services. Basically this 12 man corp has battleships on standby in the Ice Belt ready to gank the gankers. I'm not privvy to actual detail but you can bet it isn't a free service they are offering and I find it brilliant that out of something such as Hulkageddon we have forum tears, killboards with a story to tell and protection rackets!
What a great game. Intrigue spilling over to real life, an evolving, vibrant democracy and new businesses springing up from the tears.
