EVE Online reinstates in-game charity system

CCP's EVE Online has reinstated the donation system which saw it raise over $40,000 (£25,750) for the Haitian earthquake relief fund, this time in aid of the victims of the recent flooding in Pakistan.

The system enables players to donate PLEX, which are tradable in-game items that extend account subscription time by 30 days.

PLEX can be bought directly from CCP in multiples of two. Each set of two costs $34.99 or €34.99 - which is the equivalent donation which CCP will make to the Pakistan Red Crescent Society for each PLEX received. CCP will absorb any administration cost associated with the organisation and donation of the funding.

PLEX can also be traded by players in-game, where it is subject to the same free-market regulations as any tradable item in the game, prices fluctuating according to demand. Some players pay for their subscriptions entirely by earning PLEX through trading or as payment for services rendered.

CCP has set up an in-game character which will be collecting PLEX, and has made it abundantly clear that any attempt to take advantage of the charity drive by setting up spurious accounts or scamming players will be taken extremely seriously.

"If someone uses this initiative to scam you, then please report it immediately through a petition in-game. Our game masters will permanently ban anyone who uses this initiative for helping the victims of the disaster in Pakistan to scam other players. Not only is this unethical behaviour, it also potentially reduces the amount of money our players are able to send to donate, which is unacceptable," said a post on the company's website

Donations are open until 6 October, 2010.