How far is too far? In EVE Online we may never know.

In an omnibus of information, Jim Rossignal has chronicled The Great War, a most intriguing war that involved hundreds of players from several countries and over two years all while being played in EVE Online. Just like the sinking of the Lusitannia, the war started over the downing of the then only Titan in the game. The author begins with the backdrop:

"Unlike the twenty minute conflicts that characterise other multiplayer games, this is a deathmatch that has taken place between fleets of hundreds in a continuous process that has lasted years. It is the greatest imaginary conflict yet conducted, and in what follows I’ll be tracing its glories and mapping its horrors. The Great War is the war between the mighty Band Of Brothers and the grand coalition of Red Alliance and GoonSwarm, aka The RedSwarm Federation."

Read the rest The Great War as it twists and turns and costs everyone involved a lot of in-game money, and real life joy and pain. The discussion of 48-hour system defenses makes my head swim. With heroes and victims with names like BoB and Goons, it's hard to tell who is the underdog and who is the bully (maybe they are both).