Cultural Center > Let’s begin Gar Killian > Isnt the point of being the bumper to do it while your buddies are online? Cultural Center > Feel free to read minerbumping.com
The claim that mining is inherently high-risk, whereas ganking is a form of risk-averse gameplay, mischaracterizes both the mechanics and the design philosophy of EvE Online. It is a skewed narrative that leans heavily into a victim complex perpetuated by self-proclaimed ‘passive’ players who did not expect Safety in a sandbox built on danger. The truth is simple: mining is only risky for those who choose to play carelessly, and ganking is a form of high-risk, high-effort PvP that demands skill, coordination, and personal loss. The asymmetry is not an imbalance—it’s a feature, and one that miners are free to engage with or exploit.
Mining ships may cost hundreds of millions of ISK, but so do the ships used to gank them. A fleet of Catalysts—or Tornadoes, Taloses, or Vexors—used in coordinated ganks can easily cost more than a single Hulk or Mackinaw, especially when fitted for maximum DPS. Moreover, the assertion that mining ships “have virtually no escape potential” is outdated. With countless buffs over the years, Exhumers and Barges now have far better tank, agility, and defensive modules than they ever did. A paying-attention miner with aligned warp-outs, proper overview settings, and situational awareness can easily avoid a gank with a single click. Mining is not high-risk unless you opt to be AFK, poorly fit, or position yourself in high-traffic systems without precaution.
Calling mining “passive” is a self-own. It only becomes passive when the player disengages and expects the game to protect them. Mining is an active gameplay loop—scouting belts, managing ore holds, aligning escape vectors, watching local, and making economic decisions about what to mine, where, and when. The miner controls the entire engagement tree. They decide to undock. They decide how to fit their ship. They decide to mine solo or in a fleet. They can pay off local gankers, hire protection, fit tank, use decoys, or even flip the script and join ganking corps. Miners do have agency—they just often refuse to use it.
The notion that ganking is “risk-averse” ignores the complexity, uncertainty, and cost involved in a successful gank. The very act of ganking costs ISK, time, and attention. Suicide gankers operate under a limited window before CONCORD annihilates them. They must coordinate ship fittings, warp-ins, fleet timing, and damage calculations. Failure means total loss with no return. Even if they succeed, their loot might be worthless, their target might be bait, or the kill might draw a response fleet. That’s risk.
The argument that “gankers expect to lose their ships” is like saying a poker player expects to lose chips—it’s part of the game, not proof the game is risk-free. Gankers take a strategic loss to impose a strategic kill. And just like submariners in real warfare, they rely on surprise, calculation, and nerve. Submarines didn’t just cruise around for easy kills—they risked detection, counterattack, and total destruction. To gank proficiently requires knowledge of mechanics, human psychology, and market dynamics. That’s why elite PvP players are drawn to ganking—it’s not griefing, it’s challenge.
The complaint that asymmetry is “unfair” betrays a fundamental misunderstanding. This is a sandbox that thrives on imbalance. Haulers are weak. Pirates are strong. Sometimes. But haulers can bait. Miners can trap. Hauling corps have scouts, decoys, cloaks, and friends. There is no script. The asymmetry forces creativity. Calling it a flaw is like saying rock-paper-scissors is unfair because paper beats rock.
If miners had nothing but safe, passive income, the game’s economy would implode. Risk is not only a feature—it’s the balancing mechanism for reward. Every choice in EVE comes with potential consequence. You want to be a miner? Then accept that gankers exist. Or become one. Or hire them to gank your competitors. The sandbox is yours. But don’t pretend the game was meant to be a theme park.
The miner’s whine breaks down into a familiar refrain: “I want to make money, undisturbed.” But EVE Online is a game about conflict—economic, military, political. If you undock, you consent to risk. That’s not cruelty—it’s reality. The miner who complains about gankers is like a trader who complains about market crashes, or a faction leader who laments betrayal. It’s the nature of the game.
You are not forced to mine. You are not forced to be a victim. You can log in, join a fleet, learn PvP, or become a ganker. The game gives you every tool. What it does not guarantee is Safety without PvP. That’s not “risk neutrality.” That’s just bad gameplay.
Ganking is not the elimination of risk—it’s the conscious embrace of it. Mining is not risky—it becomes dangerous only through negligence. The asymmetry of EVE is not a design flaw but its lifeblood. If you seek a PvE version of Safety, you are playing the wrong game. If you seek control, learn to master the chaos. And if you’re still complaining? Maybe it’s time to undock, fit a ship, and do something about it.
Fly Fearless alliance was infested with tunnel snakes.
Executor Gai Heiyuu was at fault.
The buck stops at the top.
Suddenly, EvEmail…
“Without any warning whatsoever, an unsolicited EVE-mail arrived in the inbox of every single member of Mission Ready Mining. This was no ordinary EVE-mail. It was a corpmail. But this communication was special for another reason; it happened to contain a link to a minerbumping post about Mission Ready Mining. Curiously, it also includes a quote attributed to Tora Bushido, as well as references to the mysterious Assistance Group.
A shiver ran down the thing that MRMNG CEO Gai Heiyuu had been passing off as a spine. He had been fearing this day might come since the spring of 2017, when he ordered the emergency evacuation of Gelhan. *They* were back.”
Editor’s Note: Yes, I am quoting an illustrated narrative, published privately in a secret Discord.
Historian’s Note: This incident explains why members of a corporation are no longer allowed to mail everybody else in the corporation.
