Not only would this ‘insider trader’ scandal be against the constitution of the CSM, but CSM members also signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) on their arrival to CCP headquarters in Iceland. However, unlike the t20 scandal, CCP acted quickly. In the aftermath of this event, it becomes apparent that CCP monitors the in-game ISK accounts of all members of the CSM, and Mr. Ridgway’s purchase of these goods was quickly detected and his accounts were banned. When Ridgway was confronted by his fellow CSM members, he admitted his wrong doing, and resigned from the CSM.
Mr. Ridgway wrote an open letter to EVE’s population, which was published on a developer blog. In his letter, Ridgway mocks the seriousness of the CSM, only before saying that CCP takes the voice of the CSM seriously. He adds that “Before attending [the CSM meeting in Iceland] the thought of using any information gained to aid my position in game never crossed my mind. However, we are all human and when presented with this information the urge to act on it was too great.” Ridgway closes his letter by stating that by resigning before his compatriots in the CSM could vote him out, he is keeping his eligibility to run in a future CSM election.
Whether or not you are a fan of the CSM or if you disapprove of it, the player-filled elective body has suffered its first major scandal, in a game that is filled with them and thrives on them. However, unlike the early t20 meta-game scandal, CCP comes out looking well in this one, as they were able to detect Mr. Ridgway’s insider trading early and quickly ban him and inform the CSM of his actions.
The origin of the Ridgway scandal is possibly that a pirate – a seedy, almost universally despised player occupation - was elected to the CSM. If more miners, industrialists and mission runners had voted in the CSM, perhaps Mr. Ridgway wouldn’t have achieved his position. When you don’t read the EVE dev blogs or vote in the CSM, people like Ridgway are elected to be player representatives, and may use this information to their advantage. Or worse – they may voice opinions and suggestions to CCP that you don’t agree with.
