‘EVE Online’ Player Loses Ship Carrying $1500; Pirate Gets No Loot

While the grind and oftentimes slow pace associated with EVE Online may not be for everyone, it’s impossible to deny the intrigue that can come out of the title’s emergent gameplay. Players are able to play the game however they see fit, whether this manifests itself as hunting down wrongdoers or extorting other players. One such profession that can be particularly lucrative is that of the pirate, preying on the wealth of unsuspecting others.

Beginning at Jita, one of the largest trading hubs in EVE Online, a pilot named Ozuwara Ozuwara found out the dangers of transporting vast amounts of expensive goods without proper protection. Travelling in one of the game’s rookie vessels, they were in the process of leaving the high security zone with 84 PLEX in their possession.

For those new to the game, PLEX acts as both digital time card for the game as well as a currency. Players are able to purchase these items from developer CCP Games directly and have become a popular means of conversion between real money and the game’s currency, ISK. As such, these items can be a hot commodity in-game, making Ozuwara’s stash of approximately $1500 worth of PLEX quite a tantalizing prospect for any aspiring pirate looking to make a living in New Eden.

As Ozuwara was leaving Jita, they were attacked by a pilot by the name of Diorden. Being a low-level ship, Diorden was able to make short work of it. Upon examining the wreckage though, not a single ISK worth of Ozuwara’s PLEX cargo survived the blast. Totalling just over 70 billion ISK lost, both predator and prey left the encounter empty-handed, highlighting the epic quality of EVE‘s encounters that continues to draw new players.

While it’s not known why a player like Ozuwara would choose to transport such an expensive cargo in such a low-level vessel, it’s hard to deny the intrigue behind stories such as this. These are the kinds of stories that help to validate the belief that sandbox games with emergent gameplay have a bright future in the industry and further position EVE Online at the forefront. Couple this with the title’s truly massive battles and the allure of deep space is hard to ignore.

Clocking in at over a decade old, it’s hard to imagine EVE Online going anywhere in the coming years. With free-to-play FPS Project Legion making its way through development and EVE Valkyrie continuing to impress with its immersive VR gameplay and gorgeous visuals, 2015 is gearing up to be a big year for CCP Games.

What is your favorite story to have come out of EVE Online’s emergent gameplay? Do stories such as this inspire you to give the game a try despite its notorious learning curve?