TLDR / Summary
Current member of CSM18 — Proven and respected EVE markets and economy expert — Independent candidate without any alliance influence or committments — Purely focused on making the game better — Years of experience discussing issues with CCP, CSM members, and expert players on the CSM, my Twitch show, and podcast — Trusted leader of one of the largest Discord communities in the game — Designed the EVE Online themed final case at the Microsoft Excel World Championships in Las Vegas.
If you would rather watch something than read this, this FanFest presentation shows exactly what i am about.
Because I know you will ask: What are my largest contributions this year as CSM?
- Getting hulls removed from LP stores
- Preventing proposed changes to the game that I feel would have been terrible, but that I cannot talk about because of the NDA.
Quick intro about me outside of the game:
- I am 43, married with children, currently living in Germany
- I have been fortunate to get the chance to live in the US for 10 years, South America for 8 years, Australia for three years and the rest in Europe
- Professionally, I have spent fifteen years in financial analysis and management consulting and now manage a market data analysis business
My EVE Online story:
I started playing EVE in 2004 and was immediately fascinated by the largely player run game economy and market. Since day one, I have been analyzing the markets, devising strategies - and yes, also creating lots of spreadsheets - to gain an advantage over others and make that ISK. While trading has always been my focal point, I have dabbled in most parts of EVE at some point. Like most of us, I took some longer breaks from the game but was always drawn back in.
In 2020, I started streaming markets and trading content on Twitch, which over the past three years has turned into:
- A markets and trading focused Discord server with 6,000 EVE players (one of the largest in the game)
- Development of a public trading spreadsheet, which has helped thousands of new traders learn the ropes
- Presenting on the FanFest main stage about the EVE economy and my trading tools
- My trading guides being used in the EVE academy
- Regular interviews with CCP developers and EVE players from all corners of New Eden as well as frequently guest hosting the official CCP Twitch channel
- A weekly EVE market insights report and podcast (“The Oz Report”), a series explaining to people how to use the Excel Add-on (”Spreadsheets in Space”), and a “Shark Tank” like game show where I invest all of my ISK back into projects that benefit the EVE community in some way (“The Oz Tank”)
- Running EVE’s largest public investment fund valued at over 3 trillion ISK
- And being elected to CSM 18
My main mission is to turn this beloved game into the best verison of itself to attract and retain new players and vets alike and thereby securing its future.
My areas of expertise:
- I have a very clear grasp of the EVE economy and the drivers that impact it. I have publicly proven this on countless occasions (e.g. watch my FanFest presentation or various analyses on YouTube) and am already one of the experts CCP goes to when it comes to market changes and impacts.
- I already discuss and debate the EVE economy with CCP, CSM members, and other EVE players on my show and within my Discord community daily. I understand the expectations, goals, and fears of the various subgroups within EVE and still learn something new from them every day.
- I have built some of the most effective and complex market spreadsheets in EVE by using various parts of the API. These sheets have been analyzed by CCP with my permission in the past to better understand the trading playstyle. Many of them are being used by thousands of players across EVE.
- I work together with third-party developers (e.g. Adam4Eve, Mokaam.DK) to improve the available tools and liase with CCP around their challenges, which affords me valuable insights into that part of EVE.
What qualities set me apart from other candidates?
- I am an independent candidate and my complete focus is the health of the game. Through my stream and guides I help new players understand and be successful in the game. I invest a lot of personal time into this as I think it is crucial for the overall health of the game. I am also too rich to be able to be influenced since I have more ISK than I would ever need.
- I am a hardcore realist because I understand what it means to run a profitable business in the real world. And in the end, that’s what EVE online is to CCP and Pearl Abyss. So I will not waste my and subsequently your time chasing unrealistic measures or campaigns. I will focus on action items that make sense for both sides.
- Having lived on four continents for at least three years each, my extremely international background will allow me to seamlessly connect with players around the world to pool their feedback and effectively serve on the multi cultural institution that is the CSM.
Why am I applying for the CSM?
I love this game and want to play it for many more years. So I want to do my part to ensure that will be possible. Being part of the CSM this past year was amazing but also big learning experience. While I was able to get the ball rolling on my main issues, I do not feel like I am done yet. A second term would allow me to finish what I have started, especially when it comes to markets and trading specific changes. Additional focus areas for term 2:
- Equinox has still not been balanced correctly. It needs more tweaking regarding Skyhook mechanics, mining sites, and more. In my opinion, CCP has been way too careful when introducing minerals back into the game after “scarcity” and super capital prices need to come down more. This is me explaining how I feel.
- EVE desperately needs more meaningful encounters. Players resorting to “kill mail hunting” in absence of actual meaningful, strategic targets and/or real economic gain is absurd to me. I wish there was a consistent economic incentivation that rewards PVP and PVE somewhat equally. PVP being essentially always a net loss makes no sense at all.
What can players expect from me?
- Expect me to to listen to the player base and consider all sides of an issue before making up my mind and arguing for a position.
- Expect me to be humble towards the player base in light of the big task that you will have given me while confidently stepping up to CCP to effectively communicate our opinions at eye level.
- Expect me to always come prepared with arguments and a presentation because I will treat this appointment as professionally as I would treat any other important job.
Thank you for taking the time to read through this and for considering me as your candidate for CSM 19. If you would like to reach out you can find me here or in game:
Twitch: OZ_Eve
All my social links: Oz — Bio Site