Last week, the massively multiplayer online game EVE Online made headlines across the world after an in-game battle that cost the equivalent of $300,000 in real money. To commemorate the battle, players even built a gigantic in-game monument out of destroyed battleships. Now the players themselves are getting a real-life monument, courtesy of the game’s developer.
For nearly two decades, CCP Games has had a reputation as a company invested in their players. They’ve even flown their player council CSM up to Iceland in the past for an emergency meeting about in-game policies. But the new monument, which will stand at over 16 feet, is impressive even for them.
Named “Worlds within a World”, the monument is being created to “stand testament to the collective and manifested will of hundreds of thousands of gamers, dreamers, leaders, wingmen, pirates, betrayers victor and defeated,” according to a CCP Games press release.
It will contain the names of every active EVE Online players’ main characters—and the names of characters belonging to those who have passed on. A laptop that is to be buried under the monument will serve as a time capsule for all everyone involved with EVE Online. There are also plans for creating a web-based application to assist people in finding their names.
All things taken into consideration, it’s a ridiculously awesome gesture on CCP Games’ part and maybe, a little crazy. But, then again, that’s also what the Icelandic company is all about, isn’t it? And regardless, it’s a fitting tribute to what might be the most complicated and intricate online political system ever devised.
Expect to see more of the monument when it’s unveiled on Wednesday April 30th, a day before this year’s Fanfest 2014.
Photo by CCP Games