EVE Online: Band of Brothers Dissolved

It's been a loooong time since I posted - indeed, being a senior in college and having a nasty console gaming habit will do that to you - but I saw a bit of gaming news that struck me last week.


It's old hat by now to anyone who plays EVE Online, but Band of Brothers, an alliance of hundreds and hundreds of players within that game world, has recently been wiped off the face of the galaxy. I don't know how that makes any of you feel; BoB had been around forever (long before I started playing EVE, at least), and to hear that they were defeated by a single player was nearly enough to make me want to resubscribe. Apparently, a corporate spy reached director status within the executor corporation, giving that player massive administration rights. Systematically, the spy then stole all the alliance assets that weren't nailed down, edited standings so that allies would see each other as hostile, kicked out all member corporations, and then dissolved the alliance, making a new one with the same name so that it can't be used again. In the course of an evening, the most formidable player-driven force in the game was erased from existence, replaced by a holding corporation with no purpose. What a trophy that must be, for the player who holds the name!


In a way, this is what EVE online is all about. Corporate espionage accomplished what a years-long war could not. It's a strange sort of PVP, but one that is apparently sanctioned by Icelandic developers CCP. As with other forms of play that border on griefing, the developers are likely to let the destruction of BoB stand. Whether or not you believe that the massive time-investment of BoB's pilots should be wiped out by the work of one sneaky player, I think that player deserves a tip of the hat. When I played, I was a pirate and thief, and this man (or woman) has certainly pulled off the most profound heist since the EVE-I banking scandal that rocked the game several years ago.


EVE has always been a spectacle for the folks who don't play, but I should leave them with an impression of real-world impact. since you can buy game time with in-game money (ISK) in the form of Game Time Codes, there have often been comparisons between ISK and US dollars. The loss of Band of Brothers' assets amounts to several THOUSANDS of dollars in time and resources, and countless billions of ISK. The exact number estimate is posted elsewhere, but I was floored when I thought about the accomplishment of this spy. Such a tangible measure of the damage he or she wrought - can there be a greater sense of accomplishment in a game that's all about the credits?


The foes of BoB should have a field day, trying to secure the territories vacated by the dead alliance. I'm still tempted to peek back in and see how it goes.