In space, no-one can hear you scream. It's a dark, ruthless, high-stakes world. Every minute is a struggle to survive, no-one can be trusted, and months or years of effort can be wiped out in an instant surprise attack.

Eve Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Players pilot spaceships through a hostile science fiction galaxy where espionage, plunder, betrayal and battle are necessary to prosper.

Learning the complicated combat system and game economy takes at least six months and a spreadsheet. Actions have serious consequences and there's no going back on your decisions, which can affect everyone else in the game – over half a million people.

When you lose – your spaceships get blown up or you're robbed by spies or gangs of bullies – you really lose. Spaceships and other assets can be worth the equivalent of thousands of dollars and may have taken hundreds or even thousands of hours to build.