A couple bits on EVE-Online

I’m actually getting a tad burned out playing EVE – to be good and really enjoy the proper PVP aspects of the game seems to require rather large chunks of time, which I simply don’t have. And frankly I’m focusing more energy of late into creative endeavours – finally learning photography, and perhaps a writing project or two – and those are winning out when it comes to how I spent my spare time.

But anyway, two things I wanted to share about the first MMORPG game I’ve let myself get hooked on:

EVE gets a write-up in Financial Times online, “Gamers hone hypercapitalist skills online“. A short piece that doesn’t do proper justice to the massive freewheeling Wild West sandbox that is EVE, but I’m glad this aspect is getting some attention.

“Eve seemed like a playground for totally unfettered hardcore capitalism, with none of our justice systems or controlling bodies,” says Trey Ratcliff, a former player and chief executive of Austin, Texas software developer John Galt Games.

He says it appeals to two types of players: experienced online gamers who no longer find established franchises such as World of Warcraft challenging; and “non-gamer types who like business and capitalism and buying and selling”.

First rule of EVE – if you are a refugee from WoW, it’s OK to admit it but that needs to be immediately followed by some smack talk about how bad WoW is compared to EVE. EVE folks can be a bit elitist when it comes to WoW.

But I digress - The emergent nature of player-driven organizations (corporations and alliances) in EVE has resulted in some amazingly complex and rich in-game “businesses”. Note that in EVE, converting in-game wealth (ISK) into real-world cash is strictly forbidden by the developer’s EULA. While it does happen and people do break the rules, the bulk of player-owned businesses I’ve seen operate within those constraints – which mean they are doing it for the sake of the gaming experience, not as a job for the outside world.

Just to illustrate the depth of possibilities, here are some classes of player-created businesses I’ve seen. Keep in mind these range from solo players to groups of a few dozen to player orgs that include thousands of players and a myriad of sub-groups (corps):

• Hauling and freight services (some specialize in “milk runs”, some in high-risk/high-value runs under heavy escort)
• Manufacturing of every conceivable type and scale, from ammo producers to capital ship builders
• Intelligence gathering, infiltration and covert ops (with some cross-over into “metagaming” which is the subject of debate in terms of the ethical nature of it)
• Mercenary armed forces (from solo mercs to small-time pirate hunters to the mighty Mercenary Coalition, which owns its own star systems and industrial base)
• Starbase/station (“POS”) construction and fueling contractors
• Starbase-operating ventures (e.g. Interstellar Starbase Syndicate, which spectacularly imploded and lost all its stations. Implosion soon after it’s in-game IPO does put it on par with many dotcom’s from the first bubble)
• and many more…all built and run by players, not part of scripted game content.

It’s simply an amazingly rich, player-driven case study in emergent economies, social systems and norms, and politics. Plus some good old fashioned pew pew to boot. Good to see it getting some love in the media.

Bonus bit for EVE players:

This will only make sense to EVE players, so if that isn’t you, please ignore.

I found this description of a player’s level-3 mission running Harbinger battlecruiser, and the good Amarr purist in me cried when I saw it. Look closely at the layout – yes, that is a shield-tanking (with no resist mods!), speed-modded Harbinger fitting four PDS’ in the lows and beams up high (ok that last part is fine). I like the guy’s blog, but oh…my…gawd what a strange setup.