The Mittani Apology

Full link here.

I like this part:

There’s no excuse for what I did – while some might try to use my inebriation as a mitigating factor, I put myself in that compromised mental state, and the guilt of that is entirely mine.

A jab? Probably not.

Hopefully Mittens does not ‘step down’ over this, as it would be yet another sad example of media hype overshadowing substance.

(Too early to queue the “solo mining will lead anyone to suicide” jokes that have been told since 2003? When does that resume?)

About SynCaine

Former hardcore raider turned casual gamer.
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28 Responses to The Mittani Apology

  1. kobeathris says:

    I think that was pretty well perfect. I think him acknowledging the difference between his in game persona, and his actual out of game self was a very nice point. My whole issue with what he said was that it was an attack on the out of game person. Also reminds me why I like reading his articles, and why he is important to Eve. He really is good at pointing out that it is just Internet spaceships.

  2. Doone says:

    Not sure how you see this as more than political maneuvering :) I’d still like to see some repercussions on CCPs part. Whatever he said in his apology, there’s the fact that this was in his presentation …something I assume he did sober. In any case, drunken public speaking at a fan event, knowing he can be belligerent, shows poor judgement. Is there a reason we should believe this letter is sincere?

    In any case, sincere or no, it’s really the kind of thing that needs to be punished. A temp ban or a step down seems appropriate since he’s clearly not mature enough/have the presence of mind to perform in his role as a representative of players.

    He’s truly set the game back 5 years with this garbage.

    • Syl says:

      /second Doone

      there are missteps and missteps. this kind of thing completely ruins a person for me, no matter what ‘figurehead’ he might be. clearly it’s gotten to his head.

      and what was he supposed to do except to apologize now? mitigating measures to save his skin. it’s zero indication of sincerity.

      • Professer says:

        well, obviously

        what more would you expect from a goon with power given to him and a over-fed ego?

  3. Meanwhile, The Wis is alive and well and hadn’t actually seen the video pre-apology.

    http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3447025&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=281#post401948161

    Of course, that could be fake to. Welcome to the internet.

    • SynCaine says:

      Clearly a man on the ledge and not just someone playing EVE who is now e-famous thanks to Mittens. (which sucks for him since he likes to solo mine)

      White Knights, rally!

      • Sullas says:

        Back in my day, we only white-knighted for ladies, but one must move with the times:

        Doubt the snippet’s legit, and even if it is, it doesn’t particularly matter. The victim could be sipping a mai tai on Waikiki Beach as we speak, chortling over having executed one of the greatest trollings in recent memory, and The Mittani would still be in the wrong for baiting a potential suicide.

        I do love the ‘stfu, high time you realised you’re sheep for us to slaughter’ defence comments on SA, though. Most of those folks probably owe survival, and a tremendous debt besides, to the safeguards of Western liberalism.

        Anyway, off to swing my lightsaber a bit.

      • Sullas says:

        The ladies championed the objectively correct side of any dispute, of course.

    • Ben Nelson says:

      It’s legit. I’m friends with The Wis in game, my miner alt occasionally mines with him and his PvP alt is in my main’s corp. I was as clueless as him about all this drama until it was all over the bloody internet. He’s now 10.7ish bil richer, and the whole thing has kinda been a giant ./shrug for him and all of us affiliated players.

    • Aerynne says:

      All that suggest to me, frankly, is that Mittani exaggerated the story to make himself seem all bad assey. Mission accomplished.

  4. Anonymous says:

    I doubt the sincerity of his “apology”. His “inebriation” was not even mentioned till he brought it up himself. By doing so now and stating he will not use it as a mitigating factor, he is in fact saying “It’s not my fault, I was drunk”.

    • Um… his inebriation was corroborated by others and he was clearly drinking during the panel if you bothered to watch the whole thing. You can say you doubt his sincerity, but the inebriation was confirmed.

      In fact, I am a bit surprised that the fact that FanFest seems to be run more as DrunkFest by CCP (helped along by the casual Icelandic view on drinking) has not come up as an issue. Let’s have an open bar and put people in front of a camera is only a good plan if your company makes those “Girls Gone Wild” videos.

      • Wloire says:

        I have yet to hear of someone who went to fanfest and -didn’t- have a good time.

        I expect CCP will continue to run their successful fanfests as they have the last 9.

    • spinks says:

      You know, I’ve done some silly things when I have been drunk but inciting thousands of people on a live feed to harass someone isn’t one of them. (I don’t care if the guy was lying or not about being depressed, telling all your fans/ followers to go pick on one single person is a dick move.)

      It’s a crap excuse. If he was genuinely sorry, he wouldn’t blame it on the drink.

      • coppertopper says:

        I don’t know – people hold anger inside from all sorts of things that really bother them. 911, racial tension, politics, greed, bleeding hearts take on reality vs having to live it day-today. All it takes is a little alcohol to let those thoughts spill out, even though sober you would never really take action on your more outrageous ideas on dealing with these things. A breathalyzer enhanced keyboard would have saved me many an apology post :p Add to that being in front of a crowd of fellow enthusiasts, also intoxicated, I can see all that going to your head a little.

  5. Pingback: Mittens, and the hole he has dug for himself « Serpentine's Eve

  6. Devore says:

    And the guy it supposedly happened to couldn’t possibly care any less:

    http://www.evenews24.com/2012/03/27/failing-in-so-many-ways-the-mittani-%E2%80%93-hero/

    Now that everyone’s righteous indignation quota for the year is reached, can we move on to things that matter now? :)

    • Wloire says:

      Welcome to the internet,

      Judging by your misunderstanding of how righteous indignation works I must assume you’re new here.

  7. muckbeast says:

    The Mittani’s apology ceased to have any meaning the instant he used being drunk as an excuse/justification for his despicable behavior.

    -Michael Hartman
    http://www.frogdice.com

  8. Snort says:

    Fanboy defence of bullying, it makes you wonder about the damaged individuals who defend it. Cyber or otherwise bullying is a blight.Victims of suicide are just that victims.

    This post and others attempting to defend Mittani’s behaviour are I hope merely misguided and ill thought out. I suspect they reflect a deeper problem and need. All I can do is pity those trying to defend this behaviour out of a misplaced loyalty to a game.

    The wisest comments on this were posted here.

    http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2012/03/future-of-free-for-all-pvp.html

    Syncaine you should be ashamed of yourself, I hope for your own good you are capable of that.

    • Professer says:

      hahahah people are still going on over NOTHING about the other day’s post (which never really said anything ‘offensive’)

      get over yourself

      ahahahah

    • Anti-Stupidity League says:

      Uhh, no, your url links to a blog post where Tobold is wrong as usual, nothing remotely wise can be found there.

      What Mittani did could be done pretty much the same way in any multiplayer game that features trading and chatting, from Farmville to WoW. The incident has nothing to do with free-for-all PVP, but Tobold uses it to create yet another strawman to try to prove everybody that he is right about something and everyone who likes Eve is wrong.

      There’s no connection with bullying and PVP – there is a connection with online (game) communities and bullying, though, but some people just don’t seem to understand the difference. There are more people upset with WoW guild drama every day than there are people who are upset as they were scammed in Eve.

  9. Rem says:

    Longtime lurker and reader of this blog. No more though. Deleted from my favourites list…
    (Longtime Eve nullsec player as well btw).

    Im sure no-one will care, and Im “the sort we can do without”. Whatever.
    Serious lack of understanding Syn.

    • Professer says:

      So the posting of mittani’s apology is what really drove you over the edge this time?

      fucking idiots annoy me

      • Professer says:

        I take that last line back, after the initial encounter they amuse me and make my day better

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