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GDC: Taking Inspiration from EVE Online's Espionage Metagame
by Frank Cifaldi [PC, Console/PC, GDC, Exclusive]
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March 11, 2010
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Independent consultant, EVE Online veterna player and lawyer Alexander "The Mittani" Gianturco gave an impassioned talk Thursday at GDC, urging developers to examine the inherent "espionage" metagame of EVE Online and take inspiration from it for other products.
"In my opinion, espionage is the ultimate in user-generated content," said Gianturco. "You don't constantly have to crap out new raids, players will amuse themselves by trying to tear each others' throats out."
The metagame Gianturco referred to is practically unique to EVE Online: high-level players may manipulate others through means outside of the game client itself in order to attain their goals, be it that player's in-game currency, the advancement of his affiliated group, or something else entirely. While this is not an official feature of the game, it is supported by developer CCP's hands-off approach, meaning players have practically created it from scratch.
"Players in an espionage metagame get to use cunning and manipulation as a skill, which is rare in games," he continued. "For those of us who like that sort of thing, it's a huge draw."
Gianturco defines an espionage metagame as having three key components: player-created factions, significant consequences, and a developer-supported environment.
"Espinage cannot exist in an arena where nothing is risked," said Gianturco, explaining that a loss in World of Warcraft might result in an annoying temporary setback, but a screwup in EVE can literally cost a player $4,000 in assets.
There are of course significant risks in giving your players as much freedom as CCP does with EVE. According to Gianturco, game makers who might allow and foster an espionate metagame must be prepared to field significant user complaints.
"You have to deal with people whining and complaining," he said. "If you can't deal with that, you can't have an espionage metagame worth playing."
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I think something like this already happens in games other than EVE, just not heavily in WoW; we're just not paying attention to it.
A game mechanic that can truely effect 1000's of players experience in the game and cost them $1000 of dollars, and there is NO way you can detect it, effect or stop it.
This sort of sounds like real life, oh you mean a game that has no "game". We can call if the "Wall Street Effect" there now it has a shiny name and catchy phrase the "WSE". I still cant believe anyone plays eve because of this.
This is the stupidest idea Ive ever heard of.
In fact, EVE players (which I was for a while) seem to fit very nicely into the Hugh MacLeod cartoon of organizations (http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-or-the-office-accordi
ng-to-the-office/) as staffed by "losers" (the folks on the bottom doing something like actual work -- in EVE, these would be entry-level players who see EVE as just another MMORPG), the "clueless" (middle managers -- in EVE, corp players who do serious mining and fighting), and the "sociopaths" (the executives whose word, however irrational, is law -- in EVE, these are the corp owners).
EVE = The Office MMORPG. Heh.