As a story generator, EVE: Online is nearly peerless. But for every individual player, there's still the vastness of the MMO's universe to contend with. Andrew Groen, a games industry journalist, wants to tell the story of EVE through its own grand, narrative history. And now that his Kickstarter project to document that history has been funded, it appears he'll be able to do just that.
I've been carefully tending an EVE character for nearly a year—people tell me he looks like John Turturro . Through various upgrades and attention, he's now a reflection of all hours I've spent with him, my failures as well as my successes. But he's just one of countless other explorers, miners, and rogues who populate EVE's many star systems, all whom have a part to play on the imperial level. As Groen outlines in the video below introducing his Kickstarter, EVE's persistent, shared universe means player choices can ultimately affect everyone. EVE represents more than 10 years of "cultural history" we all share, according to Groen.
"EVE is a really special game because it has this really unique aspect to it, where players can actually come in to a region of parts of the game and actually take it over, take sovereignty over that part of the game world," Groen says. "Over time, players will form armies of tens of thousands of players and they'll form governments to control these regions. ... The stories that come out of those wars are some of the most amazing stories in the history of video gaming."
A games industry writer for the last seven years, Groen has written for outlets such as Wired and The Penny Arcade Report. His project, which asked for $12,500, saw full funding in less than eight hours and has since reached nearly twice that amount. Groen says he's been working on the history book for about six months already as "a labor of love," with the Kickstarter funds going towards printing 1,000 physical copies. Supporting the crowdfunding effort, which runs through May 25, will get you either a digital copy or a physical copy, depending on your pledge. For more on Groen's project and his past work, be sure to check out his complete Kickstarter page.
