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University of Wisconsin Milwaukee UWM Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations May 2013 "Democracy" in a Virtual World: EVE Online's Council of Stellar Management and the Power of Influence Jessica Ireland University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/etd Part of the Library and Information Science Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Ireland, Jessica, ""Democracy" in a Virtual World: EVE Online's Council of Stellar Management and the Power of Influence" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. 119. https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/119 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “DEMOCRACY” IN A VIRTUAL WORLD: EVE ONLINE’S COUNCIL OF STELLAR MANAGEMENT AND THE POWER OF INFLUENCE by Jessica Ireland A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Anthropology at The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee May 2013 ABSTRACT “DEMOCRACY” IN A VIRTUAL WORLD: EVE ONLINE’S COUNCIL OF STELLAR MANAGEMENT AND THE POWER OF INFLUENCE by Jessica Ireland The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, 2013 Under the Supervision of Professor Thomas M. Malaby Interest in virtual worlds has grown within academia and popular culture. Virtual worlds are persistent, technologically-mediated, social spaces. Academic literature focuses on issues such as identity, sociality, economics, and governance. However studies of governance focus on internal or external modes of control; less attention has been paid to institutions of governance that operate within both the virtual and real worlds. In EVE Online, the Council of Stellar Management (CSM) represents a joint venture between developers and users to shape the direction of EVE’s virtual society. As a group of elected representatives, the CSM represents societal interests to the game’s developer, Crowd Control Productions (CCP). The CSM structures the relationship between CCP and the player base, and shapes how these institutions manage the development process. At the same time, cultural and political conventions of EVE’s players at times work against these structures as CCP and the CSM seek to attend to their own interests. ii In this thesis, I examine the intersection of culture, power, and governance, and illustrate the consequences these negotiations of power have for the inhabitants of EVE Online. The historical circumstances that led to the CSM’s creation shape its reception among the community. As a model of governance, the CSM was designed as a deliberative democracy to generate community consensus. This feedback is channeled to developers through elected representatives. However, these channels of information hindered discussions necessary for true democracy. I examine how power is generated, leveraged, and mediated by the two cultures in which the CSM is embedded: EVE and Icelandic cultures. I also illustrate the authority and legitimacy of the CSM from the standpoint of its constituents. The CSM is understood within the same cultural frameworks as in-game power structures. Primary research was carried out during a one-year period in 2012. During this time, I joined SKULL SQUADRON, a large corporation with a neutral diplomatic mission. Snowball sampling was used to find informants. Three main methods were used to interview participants: face-to-face interviews, text-based interviews through EVE’s communication channels, and voice interviews conducted over Skype, an internet- based communications program. iii © Copyright by Jessica Ireland, 2013 All Rights Reserved iv For Vile Rat v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE Preface: Regarding Anonymity in Virtual Worlds ............................................ 1 I: Introduction ...................................................................................................... 4 Introduction .......................................................................................... 4 Governance and Virtual Worlds .......................................................... 13 Methods ................................................................................................ 27 II: Governance ...................................................................................................... 31 Introduction .......................................................................................... 31 History .................................................................................................. 34 Theoretical Underpinnings ................................................................... 40 Deliberative Democracy in Practice .................................................... 45 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 51 III: Power ............................................................................................................... 56 Introduction .......................................................................................... 56 Power Centers within EVE Online ...................................................... 60 The Power of Persuasion ..................................................................... 64 Case Study: CSM6 and the Methods of Influence ............................... 70 The Incarna Expansion and the Summer of Rage .................... 71 A Moment of Cultural Weakness ............................................ 76 Discussion ............................................................................................ 85 IV: Authority and Legitimacy ................................................................................ 90 Introduction .......................................................................................... 90 Democracy and War within EVE ........................................................ 95 Peacekeeping and the Stakeholder Status ............................................ 104 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 110 V: Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 113 Glossary ....................................................................................................................... 123 Bibliography ................................................................................................................ 129 vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who made this project possible. First, I would like to thank the players and developers of EVE Online who welcomed me into their discussions, corporations, and homes. In particular, I wish to thank the members of the Council of Stellar Management for allowing me to highlight the groundbreaking work they perform. While I cannot thank them individually by name, their candor was instrumental to my research. Such kindness is all too rare in EVE. I would also like to thank the following individuals for helping me make important social connections and open doors that might have otherwise been closed. Vili Lehdonvirta and Kristófer Hannesson provided introductions at CCP. Robert Digman connected me to key members of the EVE community. This thesis would be greatly diminished if not for their help. Thanks are also owed to the faculty and students of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. To Dr. Thomas Malaby, Dr. Stuart Moulthrop, and Dr. Ingrid Jordt for their critical feedback and guidance on the early drafts of this manuscript. To Dr. W. Warner Wood, Dr. Ingrid Jordt, and Jenna Mortensen, for their valuable encouragement and advice as I learned my way around a classroom. To Dr. Wilhelm Peekhaus and my classmates in L&I Sciences 691 for allowing me to refine my ideas in their company. The concepts found in this work owe much to your critiques. I also wish to thank my students for allowing me to share my enthusiasm for video games, EVE, and Iceland with them. There are three people who deserve special thanks, as this work would not exist without their support. First, to my advisor Dr. Thomas Malaby, who first suggested the vii possibility of fieldwork in EVE. His guidance has been invaluable to my education and fostering my growth as a scholar. Second, to my friend Lauren Niederkorn, whose good humor and sound advice has guided me through much of my adult life, as well as my graduate career. Third, to my significant other Rick Pumilia, whose kindness has buttressed this work in more ways than I am able to name. For his encouragement during the writing process, challenging the assumptions of my work, and unwavering faith in my abilities, he has my deepest gratitude. Last but not least, I would like to thank my parents, Shane and Jean Ireland, and my son, Sam Welch, for their infinite patience, support, and encouragement. My mother read early drafts of this work, and her feedback strengthened my ideas. My father is always supportive in whatever way is needed. Sam sacrificed many adventures throughout my graduate career, because my education is as important to him as it is for me. Your guidance and love have nurtured me into the person I have become, and for that I am deeply grateful. viii Perception is reality, and if a substantial part of our community feels like we are biased, whether it is true or not, it is true to them. EVE Online is not

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