EN24 discord
sov map

Snot Shot: A Message to a Null Sec Newbie – Propaganda 101

February 20, 2014

For those new players who’ve never heard of me, I like to chat about the propaganda that surrounds null sec as it makes for some good slap fights in the comment sections, but from time to time I like to get ~serious~. This message is to the new’ish players that have joined the game due to the B-R battle, other spectacular events you’ve read about over the last 4-5 months, and who are in the process of being whisked away to the glory of Null Sec. This is sort of a condensed Wiki null sec “survivors guide” to propaganda……from my point of view…so brace yourself…

If you’ve made it out to null sec at this point, look around you, are you in a “Coalition”? If you are, one of the first things you’ll notice is line pilots regurgitating misinformation at each other on comms like they’re all “in the know”. This is simply because they’re being speed fed propaganda which is shoved through the ranks to keep something called the “narrative” tight and the “core agendas”, of the few who currently control null sec, protected and hidden from sight. Like in any form of media, those who can spam propaganda the fastest control the “narrative” and EVE null sec is no different. Their ranks are stuffed with forum warriors who are always at the ready to deflect, undermine, shit up, and derail any attempt to besmirch their dear leader because, if they fail to keep the propaganda wall up, it could mean they themselves have been played as a fool…and for many this would have been for a very long time. Keep this in mind as you listen to your new corp mates tell you “the way things are out here”…… Many of them actually don’t know what they are talking about, they’re just blasting you with regurgitated propaganda.

The majority of null sec “Coalition” pilots are puppets in a null sec game of thrones serving the “core agendas” which make a handful of people RL money. Do most of us care? No. The way I look at it is most of us go to school or have fulltime jobs which end after an 8 hour shift whereas these guys have a 24hr/365day job managing schemes, lies, maps, contracts, spreadsheets, and verbal blow jobs that would make most folks run screaming from their computers. If they want to spend the time and effort manipulating people in a video game so they don’t need to work a real job, they can have at it, seems like too much effort and way too risky to me. Are anyone going to grab pitchforks and demand to see bank accounts etc? Nope, because it’s pretty fascinating to hear about people who make a living by playing video games (Like FPS’ers) or, in The Mittani’s case, by telling people who play the game what to do, no?

So what are these “core agenda RL money makers” that are so viciously guarded behind layers of steel banded propaganda, endless diplomacy, and massive coalitions? Well let’s take a swing at a few of the more obvious ones so you can see what I’m talking about.

The most obvious core agenda RL money maker protected by the CFC coalition is the propaganda website created by The Mitanni of the GSF. The typical CFC pilot would take a bullet in RL to protect The Mittani and the money he makes from his website. The website is a powerful propaganda tool which nets him interviews, exposure in the gaming media, and shapes the identity of the CFC pilot as they drink the narrative from it like one would from a fire hose. What’s the narrative they follow? The narrative that protects the core agenda RL money maker is “it’s us against them”. Following this narrative in a video game is simple, easy for the line pilot to understand, and can be directed at a target with little effort. Would these CFC line pilots do the same for their CEO or Alliance? Probably not due to the fact that their in game identity is worth more as a CFC pilot (aka mistaken Goon) than it is as just a (insert name here) Alliance pilot.

The narrative is usually supported by terms such as “Elite pvp’ers” followed by statements such as, “they said they were created to destroy us!”…. This one, for example, has some legs as a pretty good propaganda tool which is still used by the CFC today (PGL: “The entire reason N3 as a coalition was formed was in anticipation of this war”.) This narrative creates the walls in which the soft core agenda is cradled, cranking out RL cash and task after task for the CFC pilot to accomplish. The walls of this agenda are constantly being fortified with the bodies of new players, throwing skill books, ships, special positions, propaganda, and guidance at the new player so he/she is carefully crafted into the next line pilot to defend the RL money making agenda. Now don’t get me wrong, if you can get the benefits from this experience take it since you might as well pad your skills and hanger for free as your making RL money for others.

Another Null Sec core agenda RL money maker is protecting Pandemic Legions “position” in the game. PL use to be the only real threat to CFCs core money making agenda but for the last few years PLs been pinned under the weight of the OTEC agreement and recently castrated by the current BoTLRD agreement, so The Mittanis position at the helm of Null Sec should be safe for a very longtime. These agreements are typically crafted so the two entities can engage in large fleet fight style pillow fights which only risk ships and not how these folks make their money, being the SOV they control. At this time PL is free to walk away from any war, leaving their downed ally’s on the field of battle, and climb comfortably back into their bath tub of rental isk previously owned by the Russians. If CFC were to lose control of PL the result could be PL and other null sec Alliances getting together to put a serious hurt on the CFC but this is very unlikely to happen. The Mittani is very careful not to target PL outright with CFC propaganda yet typically singles out NCDot as the face of the “enemy”. So who gets the RL cash in PL? Probably a few folks but we’ve all seen the picture of the Mittani and Shadoo having breakfast in Paris together. No harm, maybe the guy spent his OTEC money running around Australia for the last two months. Looked like a great trip to me!

Then we have the RUS Coalition which has been put in place by the CFC. This relationship has been established as an extension of the CFC to support their control over the null sec core agendas, propaganda machine, and the RUS will effectively always owe the space they control to CFC support. This cash register will keep ringing for years to come..

Well as we move into the next segment of “Null Sec’s getting stagnant!” and you 12,000 new players enter the game, I wanted to clean the slate for you. Let you know where things stand, who benefits through your actions, and a few examples of how. You will be told the enemy are “Elitist!”, they treat new players like shit, scam/grief empire noobs by the hundreds, want to control all of 0.0 with their Super Cap fleets, and they’re hiding under your bed at night… the last one could be true having been on comms but the rest is typically just a mirror image of what your leaders actually want to accomplish. Null Sec Alliances and Coalitions are the very definition of a pyramid scheme so keep that in mind as you’re death cloning to your new homes. Null sec has been whittled down to just a handful of active great PVP Alliances that are pretty good at the game. Hopefully you get to play the game as long as they have and get to see the great wars like they have.

With all of that said, some of people you meet, if you stick with EVE, will most likely be considered very close friends of yours within a year and will ultimately be the reason you continue to log in. It won’t be the space ships, it will be the pilots you fly with and the chats you have between fleets that keep you logging in. Keep this in mind as the Null Sec narrative spins around you, but remember, it’s been spinning for years and at the end of every web is a wad of cash that’s not going into your hand. Enjoy your time online……..don’t get sucked into the hate and feel free to convo or tweet at me if you have any questions.

Fly dangerously – SS :))

– Snot Shot.

We bring you Deep 0.0 Thoughts, if you would like to read more or simply leave a shout, we invite you to visit Snot Shot’s website.