Netrunners,
You are likely now aware that some groups and individuals in the community have been engaged in the mining of private decks stored on NetrunnerDB. You can find details of the incident on the Stimhack forum and elsewhere online.
This statement comes from those explicitly targeted, but we speak primarily as members of the wider Netrunner community.
By dishonestly accessing the decks and testing of fellow players, those involved have gained a competitive advantage on the eve of the largest tournament of the year. In doing so, they have violated the privacy of not only Worlds attendees, but the Netrunner community as a whole.
Worlds is the highlight of the Netrunner calendar for many, and to see the competition threatened by actions both outside the game and outside broadly shared ethical standards is extremely disheartening.
However, the distress many have felt in the wake of these events is not limited to an undermined competitive ambition. When we play Netrunner, we are not merely competitors but fellow enthusiasts. At Worlds, at game stores, at kitchen tables, we are a community built not only on an interest in a card game, but on mutual trust, respect, and friendship.
As well as compromising the integrity of the event, these breaches of trust have undermined Worlds as the largest example of what every meeting of Netrunner players should be – a demonstration of the values of our community and a warm invitation to those outside it to join us.
Many of the players involved in this activity have come forward and apologizsed for their behaviour. Some have also said that they intend to sit out of the main event at Worlds in November, in recognition that their actions have made their participation in that tournament inappropriate. We believe that this is the right thing to do and is a strong step that shows commitment to righting their wrongs.
While we cannot make this decision for the individuals involved, we ask that each player involved look at the advantage they attempted to gain from this activity, the impact of what they’ve done on the community and the depth of their involvement, and then make a personal and considered judgement of whether they think it is appropriate to take part in the World Championship.
We ask those involved to remember that the benefits of the strong and supportive community that we all enjoy also come with a responsibility to protect and maintain it.
Finally, we would remind everyone that misdeeds like these do not define us as a community, nor do they define those involved as individuals. The wrongdoers have strayed and we have stumbled, but the betrayal only hurt because of the love that has built around this game.
Friendship requires trust, but it also requires forgiveness.
While we are disappointed in the events and do not underestimate the impact that they have had on players everywhere, we are still looking forward to the World Championship and hope that it will prove a powerful and positive advert for the game.
Signed,
Aaron Andries, Ben Blum, Donald Bowden, Gary Bowerbank, Alex “Lopert” Bradley, Sam Burdock, Lucas Burgan, Adam del Cano, Brian ‘x3r0h0ur’ Cassidy, Jon Dalesandry, Dan D’Argenio, Kenny “simonmoon” Deakins, Chris DiGregorio, Raja ‘ajar’ Doake, Chris “nemamiah” Dyer, Stephen Ebrey, David Etherington, Gabriel Fiedler, Andrej ‘amavric’ Gomizelj, Raj ‘grogboxer’ Giri, Colin “colinphanna” Hanna, Nick Hansen, Jakob Helms, Dave Hoyland, Eric Keilback, Alex “Anachron” Konecky, Sanjay Kulkacek, Thomas Lacy, Seamus Johnstone Macleod, Jesse Marshall, Peter ‘FoilFlaws’ McOwen, Ben Ni, Raphael Nishimura, Jeff Odell, Scott Pagliaroni, Laurie Poulter, Alice Rees, David Saiya, Gerry Salinas, Clint Sbisa, Joe Schupp, Alexis Spicer, Daniel ‘Codemarvelous’ Spinosa, Asger Sloth Sørensen, Sam Suied, Michael Summers, Benjamin Torell, Dien “d1en” Tran, Jacob Tunstall, Chris Underwood, Vikk, Michael Walsh, Adam Wessel, Max “whackedmaki” Williams, Jonas Wilson, Joshua Wilson, Timmy Wong, Travis Yeo