What is EVE Online? Is it a glorious space opera? Is it an exercise in collective, dark sci-fi storytelling? Is it a free-to-play strategic MMORPG? Yes: it’s all of those things and so much more. EVE Online means many things to many people. If you want to understand what the game is truly about, you need to read how its players choose to define it. We asked our community of veteran EVE Online players to creatively define EVE Online in 50 words or fewer. They’re huge fans of the sci-fi stalwart, though you wouldn’t always guess as much from their answers, which range from the tongue-in-cheek to the rousingly epic. Enjoy! 

1. EVE Online is a sandbox like no other

“EVE Online in two words: ultimate sandbox. It’s not about assets, objectives, or graphics - it’s about how players use game mechanics to craft unforgettable stories. These stories started in bars decades ago, are shared today, and will continue to make headlines in outlets like Forbes for years to come.” - Sturmer

2. EVE Online is where villains Excel

“The only game in which villainous plans take months or years to come to fruition and Excel is king.” - CelestialFlea

3. EVE Online is where schemes meet dreams

“EVE is a living galaxy of intrigue, where every warp holds promise or peril. It’s a playground for dreamers, schemers, and adventurers, where alliances are forged, fleet battles shake the stars, and each individual story is carved into the cosmos, one triumph or betrayal at a time.” - Wadd Enderas

4. EVE Online is a claustrophobic expanse

“It’s a sci-fi submarine simulator. In the space-o’-meter of realism, it sits between World of Warships and The Expanse.” - Kane Carnifex

5. EVE Online is history in the making

“One universe. Many stories. Become part of history.” - Eaglefirefly 

6. EVE Online is where imagination meets calculation 

“EVE Online is an intergalactic reality where spreadsheets can be weapons, diplomacy is an essential part of your gameplay, and betrayals are expected - as well as the beloved space battles. Your imagination is the only limit - just don’t forget to update your Excel spreadsheets!” - yan57436

7. EVE Online is commitment to a cause

“EVE Online, sometimes known as spreadsheets in space, is in some ways the least addictive game you’ll ever find. Everything takes months of training and preparation. Playing requires long-term planning, lots of math, and plentiful spreadsheets.” - Sumfin7

8. EVE Online is a herculean battle royale 

“EVE might be the hardest game ever created. It does nothing unless you do it first. It is dark and full of terror. As deep as you want and deeper than you can imagine. It's challenging, frustrating, and ultimately insane. It can dominate and crush you. Only a few will survive.” - Rixx Javix

9. EVE Online is the MMO reviewer’s boogeyman

“It’s the only MMO Josh Strife Hayes doesn't dare to review.” - greybill 

Check out greybill’s blog post for a deeper dive.

10. EVE Online is dark fantasy pew pew

“EVE is giving gamers the tools and mechanics to live out their wildest fantasies of being corporate overlords, controlling the power of great intergalactic territories and crushing competition into submission. Oh, and you get to fly cool ships that go ‘pew pew’.” - Kraken

11. EVE Online is a trail to be blazed

“EVE Online is a huge open-world sandbox in which every decision you make - from where you live to who you are - has consequences. Forge your own path.” - FirestormGamingTeam

12. EVE Online is alive

“EVE is not a game; it is a world. Life in EVE is richer than in any other game I know. Just like the virtual galaxy it simulates, its constellation of players is filled with meaningful relationships. You can make real friends and enemies, learn real skills, and suffer real losses.” - Luka Zaharin

13. EVE Online is poetry in motion

“Ships crossing the sky

“Pilots, human and unreliable

“Explosions on a dark background” - AlexGoesTheWorld 

14. EVE Online is a black hole filled with pirates and capitalists

“EVE Online: fly cool ships, lose them to pirates named YOLO420, and argue about mining rights while secretly plotting to betray your friends. It’s where interstellar capitalism, explosions, and ‘just one more jump’ combine to devour your free time faster than a black hole.” - Alexandros

15. EVE Online is beyond rhyme and reason

“To EVE or not to EVE, that question for a capsuleer,

“Whether entrepreneur, industrialist, or mercenary career,

“Roam the sandbox in search of ISK,

“Forge one’s path with an iron fist,

“Decide solo or corp, with which to lay waste. 

“In the voids of space, make peace or make haste.” - Mismoboy

16. EVE Online is a space junkie’s paradise 

“An endless addiction that consumes your time and life. And yet it’s also a game.” - lebiadkin

17. EVE Online is a stage (and yet we’re not merely players)

“EVE Online is more than an MMORPG. It’s a boundless universe teeming with stars to chart, rivalries to forge, and empires to build. Beneath its vast mechanics, however, lies its true essence and power: it is the ultimate sci-fi stage for immersive roleplay. A well-placed scram and web, and your audience is captive, yours to command.” - Lumin

18. EVE Online is risk and reward 

“EVE Online is a game in which you define the pace and choose the environment. Play it cosy to relax after work, lose sleep commanding thousands of pilots in battle, or take a fragile ship on an impossible sweaty-handed mission. Every choice is yours: risk, reward, and the great unknown!” - Limal

19. EVE Online is the playground of the plutocrat

“EVE Online isn’t a game. It’s a social experiment in which you log in seeking a triumph in capitalism and stay because you end up becoming a power-hungry, bloodstained space landlord.” - Dydo

20. EVE Online is a twinkle of a star or a galaxy aflame 

“EVE Online is what you make of it. It’s a second job or it’s a great way to relax with new friends. It’s a grind towards success or a new way to soar towards your dreams of setting fire to the stars. EVE is you and everyone you meet.” - CommanderA9

21. EVE Online is a harsh life lesson

“EVE Online is like real life. It’s a game full of scammers waiting to profit from your small errors. And yet there are rules. I love this combination. It can be harsh, but it’s always rewarding.” - ErsecondPL

22. EVE Online is brutality, gamified 

“EVE is Dark Souls in space - the same difficulty, the same punishment for mistakes, with spreadsheets as an additional nightmare.” - orik Kado

23. EVE Online is mutable and mercurial

“EVE is, without a doubt, the most rewarding game you will ever play! You will laugh, you may well cry, but EVE is something special. Get in with a good bunch and you will never leave. Constantly evolving and constantly ascending, it really will make you want to adapt or die!” - FUN INC

24. EVE Online is a shooting range, and your ships are your ammo

“Get ships. Lose ships. Get more ships. Lose more ships. This game is all about learning! You will get blown up a lot, but you'll have a lot of fun while exploding. Getting absolutely demolished is a pleasure in this community.” - Duraj

25. EVE Online is unattainable mastery 

“EVE Online is the game you love most but still don’t recommend to your friends, since you know the rabbit hole they’ll descend into if they decide to play. It’s the kind of game you’ll never master, but that will never stop you trying.” - Osckx

Did these definitions and testimonials persuade you to give EVE Online a try for the first time? Check out our EVE Online first steps guide to launch off on an unforgettable journey. If you’re already a player, share your own 50-word answer to ‘what is EVE Online?’ below!

Some text has been edited for brevity, clarity, or spelling, punctuation, and grammar. You can find the original wording here. Image credit: Razorien on Flickr