TL;DR
- Big war in-game
- Goons attack IWantISK.com out of game searching for gambling laws and personal info.
- Laws on real-world gambling compared to IWantISK.com by goons.
- IWantISK.com is a legal simulation of gambling. No real currencies.
- Some facts about virtual and video-game currencies.
- More war will come for this attack.
Hello all o7
I am the creator and owner of IWantISK.com .
I love EVE Online. Definitely the best and most complex game I have played. Second place is taken by Open Transport Tycoon Deluxe! (which we should play sometime!).
I love PVPing and killing my friends in games. It’s what makes the game fun. The competition.
When this whole war started, it was all in good fun. I decided to fund just for the hell of it because what else could be cooler than being a bank that helped change the EVE universe? It took a lot of work to get where we are (IWantISK.com) and everyone that has grouped together has come far and done very well (Money Badger Coalition)! I will never take credit for the amazing talent in coordinating what these people have. I am not sure if lack of this funding would have changed the outcome and I don’t think anyone will ever know. All I am is full of ISK, and have nothing to do with it. (however, we have experienced x2 persistent traffic on IWantISK.com)
All of my attacks on my ‘enemy’ were in-game. (keep it classy)
- They stole from our bankers in-game.
- We asked for our banker’s ISK back in-game.
- ISK request for 320b was denied in-game.
- I froze dividends in-game for SMA shareholders of IWantISK.com in-game.
This is where it starts to get interesting (and a little ****ed up).
- They use a friend of mine (only other admin) to gain access to server out-of-game.
- Server secured by me out-of-game.
- ANTI IWantISK.com posts about RMT arise everywhere out-of-game (oh the salt).
- Admittance of illegal out-of-game felonious activities declared by SMA.
After the out-of-game attacks and all the recommendations to press charges against the person who abused their server administration rights, I did the following.
- Did not press charges and kept it all in-game.
- Hired someone to hire mercenaries in-game. (a great lieutenant).
- Engaged the enemy in a war in-game.
- Plans were presented for funding a huge war in-game.
- My war was used as a distraction in-game.
- Bankers and I were like **** it lets do this in-game!
- Lieutenant does an amazing job at funding the right people in-game.
- The Imperium starts to take serious blows in-game.
- Boom Bam Boom Boom Boom in-game.
At this point Mittens, whom we can only thank for one thing (giving us a common enemy to rise against. So genuinely, thanks!) has started to get desperate. How to engage a bank that does not have a physical target or territory to defend? Negative PR and other sketchy tactics. That’s how.
- Lots of my personal info is shared all over the place out-of-game. (I’m famous!)
- My old company name is researched for info out-of-game.
- Laws about real-money-gambling are compared to IWantISK.com out-of-game.
- IWantISK.com being called a real casino to help bring down IWantISK.com out-of-game.
So the lesson that The Imperium is trying to show you here is that if you try to mess with them they will do anything they can to bring you down. Even seeking out-of-game methods to destroy you. Honestly, IWantISK.com is technically an out of game method, but we use in-game methods to engage the enemy. We still have to generate the ISK that is used. It’s not like we print ISK. We work hard.
I have spoken to my business law attorney just to recap on any new laws that might have come out recently. He said I am in the clear. That the worst case scenario is a fine for not keeping up your business name.
At this time I myself am a sole proprietor and technically have no Corporation or LLC and I do not profit. Plus this is all a hobby to me, not a business. At this time I am NOT incorporated in FL (not that it matters). I reside in Illinois and am self employed in this state.
Fortunately, regardless of what state I am standing in or what state I incorporate in, IWantISK.com is intellectual property and is the same thing as any other simulation game you see out there and thus considered legal. Since simulated gambling (credits with no intrinsic value) is not illegal, any state I reside in or incorporate in would allow my video-game creations. With no profits it would be hard to say I am benefiting like most laws require.
IF Simulated gambling were deemed illegal due to real-world-value of video game currency you would have to say goodbye to an amazing amount of games you currently play, including but not limited to the following list:
- Star Trek Online
- World of Warcraft
- Runescape
- Zynga Games (Farmville)
- Habbo Hotel
- NeoPets.com
- All FaceBook Slots and casino based games
- Lots of apps for mobile devices.
- League of Legends
- Most Pay-to-win games.
Wow what a list haha.
In order for these games to become illegal due to gambling mechanics, they would have to deem that the currency in these games have a real-world value. To give a real world value to a currency you would have to be able to use said currency to purchase real world goods. BitCoin is a good example of a currency that was being accepted by businesses everywhere and the FBI decided to attempt to tax this crypto-currency. If a government deems video game currency has real-world value, most MMO’s would become illegal. Currency would have to be reported as tax income/expenses and everything would just go inside out.
EVE Online Inter Stellar Kredits (ISK) are not real money. You may be able to add more credits to your account but that is the same thing as buying points for your farmville account on facebook and gambling on random tools and seeds in order to get more than the points you bought.
I am not coming up with excuses. Just stating some facts.
Even though I have been attacked out of game I will continue to keep this in-game and now I have a personal in-game vendetta against these new attackers (Goons). A bigger reason to fund even more.
I must say. I must have done something right, but I am not the only important target. I am sure I have no control of the momentum against The Imperium but I damn well will be part of it by funding it. Plus, The Imperium is a great name to destroy.
I feel saddened about the fact that this was brought out of game but hopefully nothing too time consuming arises from it. I feel ashamed that a player in-game would even try something this sketchy but I am not surprised. It IS Mittens…
I will make sure to keep an eye open for other sketchy wrongdoings arising from The Goons and make sure the server for IWantISK.com remains secure.
P.S. It’s funny, Mittens compared himself to Rome. Here come the Dark Ages!
P.P.S. Much respect to everyone in EVE. Even Mittens. It isn’t easy to start something this big and keep it up for so long.
– Gonz / Eep / I Want ISK
(Editor’s Note: The preceding article is an editorial, and does not necessarily reflect the views of themittani.com. It has been posted as-is.)
