Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[EVE Online's candidates for 4th Council of Stellar Management announced]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/31/eve-onlines-candidates-for-4th-council-of-stellar-management-an/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/31/eve-onlines-candidates-for-4th-council-of-stellar-management-an/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/31/eve-onlines-candidates-for-4th-council-of-stellar-management-an/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The roster of candidates for the 4th Council of Stellar Management (CSM) in EVE Online has been announced. According to CCP Games developer Pétur Jóhannes Óskarsson (aka CCP Xhagen), 60 members of the playerbase submitted applications, with 49 players accepted after CCP's screening process. (Players must hold valid passports to attend the CSM summit in Reykjavik, and those with EULA violations are ineligible to run.) From this pool of 49, there will ultimately be nine elected delegates and five alternates who can step in when needed.

Although Xhagen didn't break down candidate stats by nationality, there is a substantial number of U.S. players running for the 4th CSM as in past elections. This time around there are candidates from Latvia, Serbia, and Barbados as well. The ages of candidates range from 21 to 54, and only one female candidate is in the running this term which Xhagen notes is a decrease from the previous election. (He also indicates that only 3.9% of EVE's subscribers are female.)

Continue reading EVE Online's candidates for 4th Council of Stellar Management announced

MassivelyEVE Online's candidates for 4th Council of Stellar Management announced originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>candidatesccpccp-gamesccp-xhagencommunitycouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmelectionseveeve-onlinegame-mechanicsgovernancejita-park-speakers-cornerlife-in-low-secmynxeepetur-johannes-oskarssonreykjaviksci-fiSat, 31 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE's 3rd Council of Stellar Management elections underway]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/21/eves-3rd-council-of-stellar-management-elections-underway/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/21/eves-3rd-council-of-stellar-management-elections-underway/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/21/eves-3rd-council-of-stellar-management-elections-underway/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


The Council of Stellar Management (CSM) in EVE Online is perhaps the best implementation of governance in the virtual space achieved thus far among the numerous MMOs and virtual worlds, although this concept in the industry is rare. The basic idea behind the CSM is that as the horizons of EVE Online and its subscriber numbers expand, there are many different playstyles to be found in the game. The CSM acts as the voice of the playerbase, advising CCP Games on how best to change or develop the game to suit player interests in a far more direct way than the requisite 'nerf this' or 'boost that' threads on the official forums. The Council of Stellar Management delegates aren't selected by CCP but are elected by the players themselves, which is the subject of the latest dev blog from CCP Xhagen (aka Pétur Jóhannes Óskarsson).

EVE Online's 3rd Council of Stellar Management elections are underway. CCP Xhagen's dev blog enumerates some of the CSM's main achievements to date, hopefully providing more incentive for players to vote. (Voter turnout has been lower than hoped, with only 8.6% of the playerbase getting involved, as of the 2nd election.) Massively has covered this idea of player governance in the past through interviews with CCP developers involved with this initiative, but Xhagen's dev blog and its links to EVElopedia provides greater detail into how the CSM operates.

The polls close on May 26th, so if you're an EVE Online player, remember to make your vote count.

MassivelyEVE's 3rd Council of Stellar Management elections underway originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 May 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The sci-fi game EVE Online is unique among the massively multiplayer online games on the market in that it has a form of player governance, which allows for a new channel of communication between the subscribers and developers -- a council of representatives of the playerbase. Players are not selected by CCP Games, the creators of EVE Online, they're actually elected by the game's subscribers themselves. Those elected form the Council of Stellar Management (CSM), delegates who represent the interests of the players and deal directly with CCP Games. It's a bold idea and certainly one that many MMO developers would shy away from, particularly in that the CSM has input into the game's development pipeline.

CCP Games felt what they're doing would be of interest to other people in the industry, and gave a presentation at GDC 2009. The session was titled "The Council of Stellar Management: EVE Online Bridges Worlds for a Society". Two speakers from CCP Games presented: Dr. Eyjólfur Guðmundsson, EVE's lead economist, (also known as Dr. EyjoG) and Pétur Jóhannes Óskarsson, a researcher at CCP whose work has been integral to making the CSM a reality.

Continue reading EVE Online developers speak about player-elected councils

MassivelyEVE Online developers speak about player-elected councils originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccp-gamescouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmdr-eyjogelectionseve-onlineeyjolfur-gudmundssongame-mechanicsgdc-2009governancemmo-industrynew-edenpetur-johannes-oskarssonphilosophypoliticssci-fiTue, 28 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[GDC09: Raph Koster kicks off Worlds in Motion Summit]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/raph-koster-kicks-off-worlds-in-motion-summit-at-gdc-2009/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/raph-koster-kicks-off-worlds-in-motion-summit-at-gdc-2009/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/23/raph-koster-kicks-off-worlds-in-motion-summit-at-gdc-2009/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2009 has begun and Massively is in the trenches to report on all the big announcements for the massively multiplayer online gaming industry, plus we have some great interviews lined up all week as well. Our GDC 2009 coverage begins with today's Worlds in Motion Summit, kicked off by Raph Koster, MMO and virtual worlds luminary.

Koster's speech is short, essentially a quick review of the virtual worlds trends he's observed over the past year. It's important to see things in perspective, Koster points out, mentioning that virtual worlds have recently turned 30, and are now a far cry from their MUD origins. Hardcore, geeky stuff Koster says, and we've come a long way since then. "We've kind of arrived, haven't we?" Koster asks. "One half of American adults are gamers today, which is an incredible step."

Continue reading GDC09: Raph Koster kicks off Worlds in Motion Summit

MassivelyGDC09: Raph Koster kicks off Worlds in Motion Summit originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ambiencebreakingconvergencecultureeconomyeventsflashgdcgdc-2009governancelegalmassively-event-coveragemcdonalds-3.0mmo-industryraph-kostersafaricomsilverlightsocial-networkingtaxationvirtual-currencyvirtual-goodsvirtual-worldsworlds-in-motionworlds-in-motion-summitMon, 23 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Call for candidates in EVE Online's player-elected Council of Stellar Management]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/16/call-for-candidates-in-eve-onlines-player-elected-council-of-st/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/16/call-for-candidates-in-eve-onlines-player-elected-council-of-st/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/16/call-for-candidates-in-eve-onlines-player-elected-council-of-st/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Lost in the blitz of info about the Apocrypha expansion for EVE Online was the fact that CCP Games announced a call for candidates for the 3rd Council of Stellar Management (CSM). The CSM is a council of representatives of the playerbase, elected by the players themselves, who work with CCP Games to ensure that the development pipeline reflects the interests of the subscribers.

Being a CSM delegate can be both time-consuming and stressful, as past and present reps Jade Constantine and LaVista Vista have told us. Still, it offers players a chance at helping to shape the game they love, something which few other MMO developers would ever allow. Already on the CSM's radar for the next group of delegates is reworking (lawless) 0.0 space and its entrenched system of sovereignty, which is no small task.

Continue reading Call for candidates in EVE Online's player-elected Council of Stellar Management

MassivelyCall for candidates in EVE Online's player-elected Council of Stellar Management originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apocryphaccp-gamesccp-xhagencouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmelectionseve-onlinegovernanceicelandjade-constantinelavista-vistammo-industryplayer-politicspoliticsreykjaviksci-fiMon, 16 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE's Council of Stellar Management to be discussed at GDC 09]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/13/eves-council-of-stellar-management-to-be-discussed-at-gdc-09/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/13/eves-council-of-stellar-management-to-be-discussed-at-gdc-09/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/13/eves-council-of-stellar-management-to-be-discussed-at-gdc-09/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


We mentioned that CCP Games plans to have a presence at the Game Developers Conference this year, but they've opted to give another presentation about EVE Online as well. CCP's Lead Economist Dr. Eyjólfur Guðmundsson and Researcher Petur Johannes Oskarsson will speak about player governance in the virtual space, as exemplified by EVE Online's "Council of Stellar Management" (CSM).

For those who haven't heard of it, the Council of Stellar Management is something unique to EVE Online. It exists to convey the sentiments of the playerbase to EVE's developer, CCP Games. The idea is that it will ensure that CCP Games is developing and balancing the game in ways that fit the interests of the subscribers. It also allows for concerns between the players and developers to be addressed in a direct way by CCP Games.

CSM representatives are not selected by the developers, who largely maintain a hands-off stance on how the CSM is run. The players themselves organize their own election campaigns and the playerbase votes for who the best women and men are for the role. Each CSM term lasts for six months, during which time regular meetings take place, one of which happens in Reykjavik, in 3-days (or more) of face-to-face sessions with CCP Games.

The GDC 09 session is titled: "The Council of Stellar Management: EVE Online Bridges Worlds for a Society".

MassivelyEVE's Council of Stellar Management to be discussed at GDC 09 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccp-gamescommunitycouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmcultureelectionseveeve-onlineeyjolfur-gudmundssongame-developers-conferencegdcgdc-2009governancelead-economistmmo-industrypetur-johannes-oskarssonpoliticsresearcherreykjaviksci-fiFri, 13 Feb 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Voting for EVE's second Council of Stellar Management begins]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/07/voting-for-eves-second-council-of-stellar-management-begins/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/07/voting-for-eves-second-council-of-stellar-management-begins/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/07/voting-for-eves-second-council-of-stellar-management-begins/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


This has been an important week for our American readers in terms of elections, but now that the minor distraction of real-world governance has been dealt with, it's time to focus on governance in the MMO space. You've got to keep those priorities straight, after all.

The polls are now open in EVE Online's second Council of Stellar Management (CSM) election, where players can vote for candidates to represent their interests before CCP Games... and potentially impact how the game evolves. We can already sense the impulse someone, or several someones, out there has to comment below: "But why should I bother voting? What do they even do?" And to be fair, it's not been very transparent what the CSM has been up to (aside from the meeting minutes), but more so what effect they've had on EVE and its development pipeline.

Continue reading Voting for EVE's second Council of Stellar Management begins

MassivelyVoting for EVE's second Council of Stellar Management begins originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingcandidatecandidatesccpccp-gamesccp-xhagencommunitycommunity-relationscouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmcultureelectionelectionseveeve-onlinegovernancemmo-industrynew-edennew-featuresorcapoliticsquantum-risesci-fiFri, 07 Nov 2008 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Online's first CSM term ending, next approaching]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/eve-onlines-first-csm-term-ending-next-approaching/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/eve-onlines-first-csm-term-ending-next-approaching/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/eve-onlines-first-csm-term-ending-next-approaching/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


The latest EVE Online dev blog deals with the forthcoming changing of the guard, in terms of the player-elected Council of Stellar Management (CSM). EVE dev CCP Xhagen touched upon the fact that in the nearly 4 months that the first CSM has held office, it became clear(er) to the developers that their own views on some aspects of the game can be differ from how the players see it. While CCP Xhagen didn't list the CSM's accomplishments, he said that some of what the CSM brought to CCP Games won't be implemented until well after the new Council is elected, due to the time it takes to implement changes in the development pipeline. However, some of their efforts "will start to become visible in WAR 1.2 and the winter expansion."

He also announced the dates and details for the second Council of Stellar Management, with a few changes made to the rules. CCP Xhagen said, "... the chairman is eligible for the chair-position again should he decide to step down as such and have the CSM vote a new one; 25% of actual voters are required to force a topic up to the CSM; the biggest change is the 21 year age limit to be a valid candidate." In addition, the timetable for the existing CSM stepping down and the newly elected Council moving into their role is as follows:

Continue reading EVE Online's first CSM term ending, next approaching

MassivelyEVE Online's first CSM term ending, next approaching originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One of Second Life's (non-sexual) child avatars -- let's call him "Joe" for the moment -- used Linden Lab's beta Age Verification system to forestall any issues of being possibly suspended for being an underage user.

Unfortunately, "Joe" was subsequently suspended after being abuse-reported as an underage user. Subject to an age-check, he had to provide copies of assorted government-issued identity documentation to Linden Lab's office, where, satisfied that he had proved he was an adult user, his account was re-enabled.

Unfortunately for "Joe", it doesn't end there.

Continue reading How many times do you have to prove it?

MassivelyHow many times do you have to prove it? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-verificationculturegovernancelinden-labsecond-lifesl-kidsvirtual-worldsTue, 11 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Second Life Governance team commences public office hours]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/05/second-life-governance-team-commences-public-office-hours/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/05/second-life-governance-team-commences-public-office-hours/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/05/second-life-governance-team-commences-public-office-hours/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Linden Lab's governance team will be holding public office hours in Second Life five days each week, starting this week (the first session was today). You can find the governance team for approximately one hour on the island of Kremer at 10AM SLT (US Pacific) Monday to Friday, though they suggest that they will try to make other time-slots available for those who can't make the 10AM sessions.

Members of the governance team will be there to discuss issues, plans, and answer questions - but not to take your abuse reports or to listen to you grumble about the neighbor's build overhanging your property line.

MassivelySecond Life Governance team commences public office hours originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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