Elon Musk’s Diablo 4 Dilemma: Should Account Sharing Be Banned?
TL;DR: Leaked DMs show Elon Musk admitted to using account pilots in Diablo 4, bringing into question game ethics and if Blizzard will enforce rules for everyone, even the richest.
The Tech Mogul's Dungeon Crawl: A Controversy Emerges
Leaked direct messages, a staple of modern internet drama, have once again thrust a well-known figure into the spotlight. This time, it’s Elon Musk, the tech titan often lauded and criticized in equal measure, facing scrutiny for his alleged Diablo 4 gaming practices. We find ourselves at the center of a gaming debate as it is revealed that not only did he accuse Asmongold of being a “bad gamer” in Path of Exile 2 while also claiming he was the superior player, but that he has also been using an account pilot in Diablo 4. This leads us to ask is this a ban-worthy offense. The situation raises an interesting question: Is the allure of competition, even in virtual realms, enough to justify bending the rules, and what should Blizzard do about it?
Leaked DMs: Musk Admits Account Piloting
The leaked DMs between NikoWrex and Elon Musk paint a revealing picture. NikoWrex directly questions Musk on whether he engaged in account boosting, account piloting, or purchased in-game gear or resources. Musk's succinct response— “100” — leaves little room for doubt, and confirms the suspicions raised on the matter. This exchange indicates that, at minimum, he was aware of and approved the practice of someone else using his account, which goes against most terms of service. This exchange puts into question the ethics of his gameplay in Diablo 4.
The Ethics of Account Piloting & Boosting
The debate often comes back to the question of: what is the big deal? Account piloting, or boosting, is not an uncommon practice in many online gaming communities. For players at the highest levels of competitive gaming, the time and effort required to reach the top can be extreme. That’s why many with the financial means simply pay others to do the work for them. That, however, is where the lines blur. Is it fair to buy an advantage, even if it means having someone else play your account? Should a player’s resources be the defining factor in a game? Should the game itself only be made for players that have the time, skills, and resources?
“Do as I Say, Not as I Do”
Elon Musk calling Asmongold a “bad player”, only to be later caught using another player’s skills to compete puts his previous accusations against other players under a lens of scrutiny. This leads us to the question, should he be making such claims on other players while utilizing these methods? His comments imply he believes he is a more skilled gamer, but these leaked messages show a stark contrast to what he previously said. This is not a unique scenario, as this happens frequently within the gaming industry. However, this is yet another example that can highlight a deeper problem with the game and its community.
The "Everyone Does It" Argument
Asmongold highlighted the idea that it is a well-known secret that “everybody is cheating.” Many players in these games feel they need to level accounts in this fashion in order to stay competitive, especially on the Asian servers. While it’s true that these are popular practices that are often done across all genres, it does not make the practice correct. The question we should all be asking ourselves is, is this an issue of game design, or player ethics?
Blizzard's Inconsistent Enforcement: The Real Issue?
A larger question comes into play when we think about how Blizzard should deal with this. Are they going to pick and choose who to enforce this rule on? Will they make an example of a few, but let the larger players move on without any repercussions? Or will they remove the rule and allow all players to boost? The big question we need to ask ourselves is: if Blizzard is not going to enforce the rules set out in the terms of service, should they simply do away with the rule altogether? Having clear terms of service that are not being enforced does more harm than good.
A Path Forward: What Now?
What is the solution? While it would seem that a clear answer is needed, we should be asking ourselves some other questions: Should Blizzard remove the ban from the terms of service? Should players from North America be allowed to compete on the Asian servers? The answer seems simple, yet is complex. Should Blizzard enforce these types of rules on players that make these claims as it appears that the issue runs all the way to the very top of the game leaderboards. If not, then these TOS should be removed. This is not just an issue inside of Diablo, but a multitude of other titles that are of this type such as MMO’s, ARPG’s and kingdom builders like, Rise of Kingdoms and Call of Dragons, all of these types of games are prone to this very issue.
A Community Call to Action
We’ve outlined the facts and the implications, but ultimately, this is a topic that needs open discussion and reflection within the gaming community. We invite you to share your thoughts in the comments of our YouTube video. Do you believe account piloting and boosting are harmful to competitive integrity? Should Blizzard enforce their terms of service consistently, or should they remove these restrictions altogether? The future of gaming is built by the players, and we all have a voice.
