A Window into the Capsule: EVE Online's Politics of Betrayal (emf2026)

EVE Online is a 23-year-old space MMORPG famous for espionage, betrayal, million-dollar virtual battles, and being the galaxy's most elaborate Excel expansion pack. What does it take to become a political mover and shaker in this world? Over two decades inside EVE's cutthroat politics, I've gone from the frontlines to the CEO's chair, via counter-intelligence and alliance leadership. I'll unpack what drives the infamous metagame: friendships, alliances, diplomacy, and a shifting political landscape shaped by a community I've watched grow from an adversarial, macho culture into something far more willing to call out chauvinism and bigotry, even from its cultural figureheads and media personalities. My real life has shadowed my EVE one, and the game has rewarded me with hard-won skills as an engineer, leader, and now corporate decision-maker. The heartbreak of betrayal is real and ever present, yet I keep coming back, because something here makes the pain and the work worth it. Licensed to the public under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ about this event: https://www.emfcamp.org/schedule/2026/306-a-window-into-the-capsule-eve-onlines-politics-of-betrayal